Ethermac Exchange-Pilot injured after a military aircraft crashes near international airport in Albuquerque

ALBUQUERQUE,Ethermac Exchange N.M. (AP) — A military aircraft 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 around 2 p.m. on the south side of the airport and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to Albuquerque’s fire department. A video posted by the department on X showed a burn scar on a hillside.

Kirtland Air Force Base was leading the investigation into the crash. The base did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It marks the second crash of a military plane in New Mexico in the past month. In April, an F-16 Fighting Falcon went down in a remote area near Holloman Air Force Base in the southern part of the state, leaving that pilot with minor injuries after he ejected from the aircraft.

Authorities haven’t said what type of aircraft was involved in the crash near Kirtland Air Force Base.

Located on the southern edge of Albuquerque, the base is home to the 377th Air Base Wing, which conducts nuclear operations and trains and equips expeditionary forces. It’s 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 an aircraft trailing low on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. He said the aircraft briefly disappeared from his line of sight, and then he saw “an enormous plume of black smoke.”

When he drove past the crash, he said he saw a piece of it in the middle of the road.