Washington - Saba:
A US Navy F-35 fighter jet crashed last night in California near Naval Air Station Lemoore, the second such incident of its kind in a year.
CNN quoted a statement issued by the US Navy as saying: "The pilot ejected safely, and the cause of the accident, which occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m., remains under investigation."
The US Navy statement added: "The aircraft belonged to the VF-125 Strike Fighter Squadron, known as Rough Raiders. The VF-125 is a fleet replacement squadron responsible for training pilots and aircrew."
A circulating video showed flames and thick black smoke rising from the crash site in flat, open farmland near Naval Air Station Lemoore, about 40 miles southwest of Fresno in central California.
The aircraft is one of three models of the F-35 Lightning II, designed to operate on American aircraft carriers.
While the US Air Force uses the F-35A, the Marines use the F-35B, which is designed for short takeoff and vertical landing.
The F-35A costs approximately $100 million. This is the second accident of its kind this year, after an Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska last January during a training mission. The pilot also survived that accident.