F-22 Crashes In Florida

An F-22 Raptor crashed near Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base at approximately 9:15 a.m. local time on Friday. According to base officials, the pilot ejected safely from the aircraft and was taken to the 96th Medical Group hospital on Eglin for evaluation and observation. The pilot, whose name has not been released, is in stable condition. The aircraft was assigned to the 325th Fighter Wing’s 43rd Fighter Squadron, which is currently based at Eglin.

“There were no other individuals on the aircraft,” the Air Force said in a statement. “There was no loss of life or civilian property damage related to the accident.”

The F-22 went down on Eglin’s test and training range about 12 miles northeast of main base during a routine training flight conducted with the 33rd Fighter Wing. It was not part of a flyover featuring an F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightening and two T-38 Talons which was scheduled for Friday morning to honor essential personnel fighting the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The flyover aircraft were recalled following the accident. An investigation will be conducted by a board of Air Force personnel.