US military's $109 million F-35B crashes near San Diego; pilot ejects safely | VIDEO

San Diego: A US Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego on Friday, with the pilot ejecting safely before impact, military officials confirmed.

The incident occurred at around 10 am local time (1700 GMT) in the vicinity of the military base, according to a spokesperson for MCAS Miramar.

"The pilot was ejected and has been recovered," the spokesperson said.

In a later update, the base said the pilot had been taken to a medical facility in a stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Videos shared on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the crash site as emergency crews and firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

MCAS Miramar is widely known as the former home of the US Navy's elite "Top Gun" training school, made famous by the 1986 film Top Gun starring Tom Cruise.

The aircraft involved was an F-35B, the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the stealth fighter manufactured by Lockheed Martin. According to the company, each F-35B aircraft is valued at approximately $109 million.