Navy Jet Crashes, Pilot Ejects Safely 

August 1, 2025 – Fresno County Sheriff's Office officials report that at around 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office received a report that a military jet crashed and was engulfed in flames. Deputies, firefighters, CHP officers and EMS personnel all responded to a cotton field and located the wreckage near Dickenson and Cadillac Avenues, just north of Lemoore Naval Air Station.

First responders searched for the pilot and found him with a parachute in a nearby field. He had ejected from the F-35C fighter jet, which is attached to the squadron known as the VFA-125 “Rough Raiders.” A helicopter transported the pilot to the hospital for evaluation. He is expected to be ok.

At night, firefighters used a bulldozer to cut a path to the jet so fire engines could get close enough to extinguish the fire.

The military is now conducting an investigation to try and determine the cause of the crash.

View video here.

Source: Fresno County Sheriff's Office