ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A military plane crashed Tuesday near the international airport in New Mexico’s largest city, sending up a large plume of smoke and injuring the pilot.
The pilot, the only person on board, was able to escape after crashing on the south side of the airport around 2 p.m. and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to the Albuquerque Fire Department. A video posted by the department on X showed a burn scar on a hill.
Pilot treated after ejection from F-16 jet that crashed in New Mexico
Kirtland Air Force Base led the investigation into the crash. The base did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It marks the second military aircraft crash in New Mexico in the past month. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed in a remote area near Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state, leaving the pilot with minor injuries after ejecting from the plane.
Authorities have not said what type of plane was involved in the crash near Kirtland Air Force Base.
The base, located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, is home to the 377th Air Base Wing, which conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces. It is also home to the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Patrick White, who was driving in the area at the time, told The Associated Press that he saw a plane hovering low over the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. He said the plane disappeared from his view for a moment, and then he saw “a huge plume of black smoke.”
As he drove past the crash, he said he saw a piece of it in the middle of the road.
