--- title: "Watch a Pilot Get Ejected From an F-35 Jetfighter Right as It Crashes" description: "In a viral video, an uber-expensive F-35 jet bounces weirdly on the runway before ejecting the fighter pilot inside — and man, is it freaky to watch." date: "2022-12-16" modified: "2022-12-16" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/f-35-bounce-crash-ejection" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "f-35" - "fighter jets" - "military" - "the digest" --- # Watch a Pilot Get Ejected From an F-35 Jetfighter Right as It Crashes ![In a viral video, an uber-expensive F-35 jet bounces weirdly on the runway before ejecting the fighter pilot inside — and man, is it freaky to watch.]() *\Image: CBS\* ## Bouncy Castle In a viral video, an uber-expensive F-35 fighter jet bounces weirdly while landing before going nose-to-the-runway and ejecting the pilot — and man, is it freaky to watch. As [*CBS News* reports](), the bizarre slow-motion crash and pilot ejection occurred while the pilot of the Marines' F-35B jet was attempting to land at a Naval air base in Fort Worth, Texas. As of now, it remains unclear what caused the crash or how injured the pilot was, though a Defense Department spokesperson did [confirm to the *Washington Post*]() that they were taken to the hospital. https://twitter.com/cbs11doug/status/1603466654704406530 ## Press F As outrageous as the video itself is, the pricetag of the F-35 jet — developed as part of a joint Lockheed Martin-DOD program, which as of earlier this year had [cost a whopping $1.7 trillion]() to "buy, operate, and sustain" — makes the viral crash all the crazier. As [*Defense News* reported]() earlier this year, the Pentagon admitted that it costs $9.1 million per year to fly a single F-35B like the one seen crash-landing in the Fort Worth base vid. Unsurprisingly, much of the commentary accompanying the video is incredulous. "Fighter jets are not supposed to bounce," one Reddit user posted on the [r/CrazyFuckingVideos subreddit](). Over on Twitter, the tenor was similarly affronted. "So glad we went with this instead of universal healthcare," [one user joked](), with another [cheekily suggesting]() that kind of money could go towards paying reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans. "The amount the US has spent on the F-35 fighter jet would have provided free college for generations," an [activist group tweeted](). "We have student debt because Congress spends money on this instead." It is indeed a jarring reminder of the fallible ends of mind-boggling military spending — but at least in this case, the jet didn't [accidentally shoot itself]() with its own gun. **More on military spending:** [*NATO Just Deployed Its First Killer Ground Robot*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()