“The pilot is in stable condition and is currently being evaluated at a medical facility,” Townsend added.
The crash, which happened early Tuesday afternoon, resulted in significant damage to the aircraft, the Air Force confirmed in a statement. An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the incident.
Eielson Air Force Base, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Fairbanks, was selected in 2016 to host 54 F-35s, leading to a half-billion-dollar expansion that included new buildings, housing units, and an influx of 3,500 active-duty airmen and their families.
With the capability to fly more than 12 hours in a single mission, the F-35 can reach nearly any location in the Northern Hemisphere.
The crash marks the latest in a string of F-35 incidents in recent months. In May, an F-35 en route from Texas to California crashed after a refueling stop in New Mexico, leaving the pilot with serious injuries. In a separate incident in October, a Marine Corps investigation found that a pilot unnecessarily ejected from an F-35 in South Carolina, allowing the aircraft to continue flying unmanned for 11 minutes before crashing.
Townsend emphasized that the Air Force would conduct "a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again."