An F-35A caught fire when the pilot started the engine during a training exercise at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho Friday, Defense News reported.
“The pilot had to egress the aircraft during engine start due to a fire from the aft section of the aircraft,” Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff told Defense News in an email.
“The fire was extinguished quickly. As a precautionary measure, four 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit Airmen, three Airmen from the 366th Maintenance Group and the 61st Fighter Squadron pilot were transported to the base medical center for standard evaluation.”
The Air Force does not know if the fire was caused by engine failure, and the Air Force is investigating, Graff said.
The incident Friday also comes just a week after the Air Force announced that they grounded 10 of their 15 F-35As due to a problem with coolant lines in the fuel tank. (RELATED: F-35s Are About To Have Their Wings Torn Open For Repairs)
Another F-35 burst into flames due to catastrophic engine failure during an air festival in England in 2014, which led to the grounding of the U.S.’s fleet of test planes.
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