The pilot of an F-35 Lightning II fighter jet was injured while ejecting before the plane crashed Tuesday at Eielson Air Force Base near Moose Creek, Alaska.

“Today at 12:49 p.m. local [time], a U.S. F-35 assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing crashed near the airfield on Eielson Air Force Base with a single pilot safely ejected. The pilot is safe and in stable condition,” Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, said at a press conference Tuesday.

The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to Bassett Army Hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska, Eielson AFB said in a release.

The plane suffered major damage, the Air Force said, according to The Associated Press.

The Air Force is investigating what exactly caused the F-35 to fail and plummet from the sky. The pilot experienced an in-flight malfunction shortly before attempting to land after a training exercise and decided to eject, Col. Townsend said.

Col. Townsend also offered a vote of confidence in the design of the aircraft, saying that “we are confident in the capability of that platform as the U.S.’s premier fifth generation fighter.”

In May, an F-35 crashed when the pilot stopped to refuel in New Mexico during a flight from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base in California, according to the AP. Another F-35 crash in 2023 in South Carolina was attributed to the pilot, who ejected too early.

Each Lockheed Martin-produced jet costs just more than $81 million on average, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.