YUMA, Ariz. – A fighter pilot had to eject from a military plane Tuesday after it “made contact” with another aircraft during training in Arizona.
The Marine Corps Air Station Yuma says an F-35B made contact with a KC-130J during an “air-to-air refueling evolution” at about 4 p.m.
The pilot of the F-35B successfully ejected from the plane before it crashed. That person was then sent to a hospital for treatment.
The KC-130J landed and was on deck near Thermal Airport in Riverside, California. All crew members on board that plane were reported safe.
1st Lt. Brett Vannier of the air station in Yuma told NBC News that the KC-130J was assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego. He said eight people were aboard that plane.
Vannier told NBC that the planes were conducting “weapons and tactics instructor training” at the time of the crash.
The official cause of the crash is currently under investigation, officials said in a statement.