A United States fighter jet has crashed into a ball of flames in front of horrified witnesses.

The military plane went down near Rimrock Lake, a popular recreation area, with thick black smoke billowing above the forest landscape. Onlookers saw the pilot eject from the jet seconds before the crash.

One woman filming the scene could be heard describing what happened after initially mistaking the ejecting pilot for a parachutist.

Naches Fire confirmed crews were dispatched to what it described as a “downed military aircraft” near the lake.

“The crash sparked a wildfire that is currently being suppressed by helicopters and at least one engine from U.S. Forest Service – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest,” the department said.

A Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing statement said the crash around midday was a “non-fatal aviation mishap while conducting routine training”. It involved a F/A-18 Hornet aircraft based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in California.

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