Fighter jet crashes in Florida; pilot ejects and survives

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — An Air Force fighter jet crashed while landing at a Florida base, but the pilot was able to eject and survived. The public affairs office at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle said in a news release that the F-35A Lightning II crashed Tuesday night on the base as the pilot returned from a routine training flight. The base says the pilot ejected before the crash and is hospitalized in stable condition. The pilot is a member of the 58th Fighter Squadron. The crash came four days after an F-22 fighter crashed 12 miles from the base. That pilot also ejected and survived.