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UPDATE: 9 people safe after military aircraft made emergency landing

SALTON CITY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Nine people are safe after a U.S. Marine Corps refueling aircraft made an emergency landing after a mid-air mishap involving a fighter jet.

MCAS Yuma says an F-35B fighter jet made contact with a KC-130J while refueling air-to-air.

The eight crew members aboard the tanker weren't hurt. The pilot of the fighter jet ejected safely. Doctors are treating his injuries.

The cargo plane made an emergency landing in a field in Thermal. It lost two of its propellers. We received reports of a fuel leak from one of its wings.

The F-35B crashed in the desert west of the Salton Sea. The Marine Corps set up a one-mile perimeter around the wreckage.

The F-35B Lightening II is a supersonic stealth aircraft with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities. MCAS Yuma hosts a number of F-35B squadrons.

The KC-130J is an extended-range air tanker. It's the largest aircraft flown by the Marine Corps

The official cause of the crash remains under investigation. 

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Gabriel Salazar

You can catch Gabe Salazar reporting on Sunrise at 6 a.m and 7 a.m.

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