USAF report details F-35A crash at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska

A US Air Force Accident Investigation Board has released its findings on the loss of an F-35A fighter jet that crashed at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, on 28 January 2025. The aircraft, assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron, was destroyed. The pilot ejected and sustained only minor injuries.

According to the report, the jet was one of four F-35As, using the callsign YETI, flying alongside two others callsigned CHEVY on an air combat maneuvers training sortie. The pilot involved, an experienced instructor and evaluator with more than 2,700 flight hours overall and 555 hours on the F-35A, was flying as YETI 3.

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot received a cockpit caution indicating an overspeed condition related to the landing gear. Cockpit indicators reportedly showed markings suggesting the nose landing gear was still in transit rather than fully retracted or extended, prompting the sequence of events that led to the loss of the aircraft.

The Air Force said the report, published in August 2025, was a legal investigation rather than a separate safety probe. Under Air Force procedure, such boards are tasked with establishing facts for public release and for potential legal or administrative proceedings, while a separate, non-public safety board examines the incident for accident-prevention purposes.

The destroyed aircraft was valued at approximately $196.5 million, the report noted. No further details on the precise mechanical or procedural cause were included in the extract reviewed.