Letter | F-35 crash in Alaska should worry us in Madison – Jan 31, 2025

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The Cap Times, January 31, 2025
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Dear Editor: An F-35A Lightning II aircraft crash occurred on Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, at 12:49 p.m. on Jan. 28.

I regret the pileup of news events coming from Washington, D.C., has kept our attention from spending a moment on the crash of that F-35 and the implications for Madison.

“Local traffic is advised not to stop on Richardson Highway adjacent to Eielson AFB as this poses a safety risk. … Additionally, Federal Law prohibits photography along this stretch of highway.” Stay away, don’t look, move along, nothing to see here, is the official response. I believe it would be the same here.

The problem? The 115th F-35 Fighter Wing is based inside our city limits, just over 5 miles from the state Capitol and in the middle of neighborhoods occupied by thousands of our city’s low-income and minority residents. Nearly 15,000 residents call the Northeast Area home. 

The nearest town to Eielson AFB is North Pole, Alaska, population 2,500, 10 miles away.

If this F-35 had crashed here, there could have been a significant loss of life. See Safe Skies, Clean Waters’ website for more about the F-35s impact.

It was never wise or kind to put the 115th Fighter Wing in a populated area. I fear the day I or my neighbors pay the ultimate price.

Sarah White

Madison