Military officials said the cause of the crash is being investigated.A US Marine Corps F-35 fighter jet crashed near Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in San Diego on Friday, with the pilot ejecting safely before the aircraft burst into flames and sparked a brush fire, military officials said.The fighter aircraft, attached to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and Marine Aircraft Group 11, went down at around 10 am local time near the air station. The Marine Corps described the incident as an "aircraft mishap".First Lieutenant Blake Starbuck told Fox News that the crash was a "Class A mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity of MCAS Miramar".Lieutenant Starbuck confirmed that the pilot successfully ejected and was safely recovered after the aircraft came down. Military officials said the cause of the crash is being investigated.Starbuck said he could not immediately confirm the purpose of the flight, including whether the aircraft had been taking off, landing or carrying out a training mission.He also said there was no immediate information about any injuries or fatalities linked to the crash.Television footage from SkyRanger 7 showed the wreckage split into two large sections in the middle of a burnt field roughly the size of a football pitch.Large flames and thick black smoke rose from the crash site, which was located north of State Route 52, making the fire visible to motorists on the nearby highway. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said it had joined efforts to contain the brush fire triggered by the crash.However, officials said the military remains in charge of the crash site and will lead the investigation into the incident.