2024 Video Of Jet Crash In New Mexico Falsely Shared As Pakistan Air Force Shooting Down US Fighter Plane

Claim

Pakistan Air Force has shot down a US Air Force’s F-35A stealth fighter jet using a Chinese JF-17 aircraft near Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The archived version of the post can be seen here, which has clocked 683.2K views so far.

Fact

Newschecker first ran a keyword search on X for “F-35A shot down”, which led us to the same video uploaded on X on May 29, 2024, stating that a F-35 fighter jet just crashed during take-off at Albuquerque international airport, New Mexico, as the pilot reportedly ejected from the plane. Similar posts can be seen here and here.

Taking a cue, we ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to this NDTV report, dated May 29, 2024, stating that a pilot was seriously injured after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet, which crashed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We also came across this CBS News report, dated May 28, 2024, on the crash.

“The plane was a developmental model of the F-35 fighter jet, which was being delivered by Lockheed Martin, two Defense Department officials told CBS News. It had just taken off from Albuquerque and was en route to Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, the officials said… The plane went down near the airfield on the southside of the Sunport, the airport reported on social media. The pilot and sole occupant of the plane was conscious and taken to a nearby hospital, the airport said. According to Fejer, the pilot was able to exit the plane and was hospitalized with serious injuries. The pilot was last reported to be in stable condition at the University of New Mexico Hospital,” read the CBS News report.

The Telegraph, too, shared the video in its report on the incident, dated May 29, 2024. “An F-35 military fighter jet has crashed into a hillside in New Mexico. The fighter jet went down near International Sunport in Albuquerque while travelling to an Air Force base in California. The pilot, the only person on board, survived the crash but was seriously injured, according to officials. US manufacturer Lockheed Martin identified the downed plane as an F-35 that had left Fort Worth, Texas, earlier on Tuesday and was headed to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles. A spokesperson for Lockheed told The Associated Press that the fighter jet crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico,” read the description, which further confirmed that it was an accidental crash and not the result of any Pakistani or Chinese military action. We also came across this write-up by the Kirtland Air Force Base on the accident, dated June 11, 2024.

Also Read: Viral Image Showing Destruction At Russian Airbase After Ukraine’s Drone Attack Is AI Generated

Sources
X post, Clash Report, May 29, 2024
NDTV report, May 29, 2024
The Telegraph report, May 29, 2024