A military plane crashed near Albuquerque International Airport in New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, leaving the pilot injured and hospitalized.
An Air Force pilot was injured after ejecting from a jet, The Albuquerque Journal reported.
A Kirtland Air Force Base spokesman told the outlet he is expected to recover from his injuries.
The pilot flew the jet from a Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and landed in Kirtland for refueling, before taking off shortly thereafter and heading for Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, the media reported.
The New Mexico Air Force Base, located next to the airport, confirmed the crash on social media platform X, noting that only the pilot was on board.
“Flights have resumed, but please check with your airline for flight status.” Posted by the airport.
Photos and Videos Share online Fire and smoke were coming from the hill where the plane had crashed, and firefighters arrived to put out the blaze and search for the pilot.
An Albuquerque Fire Rescue spokesman said they received reports of the plane crashing around 2 p.m. and that the pilot was able to eject before the crash but was injured.
Two other people were nearby but were not injured.
The Journal reported that this is the second military plane crash in the state in the past month: In April, a jet crashed near Holloman Air Force Base and the pilot also ejected.
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