Marine Corps says F-35B stealth fighter crashed in California,...

The U.S. Marine Corps said Friday that an F-35B jet crashed near a Southern California air base and that the pilot was taken to a medical facility. The aircraft went down Friday afternoon near Miramar Air Base in San Diego, and the Marines described the event as a “Class A mishap,” the most severe mishap category, triggered when damage tops $2 million, when a military aircraft is destroyed, or when a service member dies. The statement did not specify the pilot’s condition beyond saying they ejected and were recovered. News-helicopter footage showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in a dirt field. What appeared to be flame-retardant material covered the ground, and firefighters were reportedly on scene to respond to a vegetation fire sparked near the crash site.