WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas — A jet reportedly crashed in White Settlement Thursday morning, police say.
The White Settlement Police Department told WFAA that emergency crews responded to the scene around 10:15 a.m. near the Fort Worth Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.
Police confirmed the pilot of the aircraft ejected. His or her condition is unknown at this time.
The investigation into the jet crash started immediately. Video of the incident shows an F-35B hovering while landing Thursday at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. Kitt Wilder thought it would be cool to record it.
"It started off cool. It was hovering down and then it bounced. Lost balance, I guess. And nosedive continued to keep the nose on the ground," said Wilder.
In a statement to WFAA, Lockheed Martin said an investigation is underway.
"We are aware of the F-35B crash on the shared runway at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth and understand that the pilot ejected successfully. Safety is our priority, and we will follow appropriate investigation protocol."
WFAA reporter Scoop Jefferson spoke with a witness at the scene Thursday afternoon:
"We love having the base here in our community. We love the fact that Lockheed Martin and the economic impact that it does for our North Texas region," said White Settlement Police Chief Chris Cook. "Any time you get a call like that, you know, your heart kind of sinks. You want to get here as fast as you can. We didn't notice any smoke, anything like that as we arrived on scene."
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why the pilot crashed during landing.
"We saw all the ambulances and fire trucks coming out. So I'm just hoping he's OK," Wilder said. "It could have happened at any time, any base, any pilot, any jet just today. And I was recording."
