F-35 Fighter Jet in South Carolina? What actually happened? Monday saw the identification of a debris field, confirmed to be the remnants of an F-35 Fighter jet that vanished near Charleston, South Carolina, on the previous day. The pilot had managed to eject safely before the incident, as reported by the Marine Corps and a defense official involved in the search.
The location of the wreckage is roughly two hours northeast from Joint Base Charleston. The Marine Corps, which will be taking over the incident command from JB Charleston, issued a statement urging the public to stay clear of the area to ensure a smooth recovery operation.
The pilot, who landed safely following an unexpected event with the jet, was quickly transported to a local medical facility and is reported to be in stable condition. The exact details of the incident are being withheld due to an ongoing investigation, as per the Marine Corps’ statement on Monday.
The last known coordinates of the aircraft were around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, two extensive bodies of water northwest of Charleston. Joint Base Charleston had previously sought the public’s assistance in locating the jet.
The lost jet was a part of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, whose main objective is training pilots to fulfill annual training requirements.
Temporary Suspension of Flight Operations Ordered by Marine Corps
F-35 Fighter Jet in South Carolina, In the wake of three serious “Class-A aviation mishaps” within the last six weeks, the Marine Corps has issued a two-day halt on all flight operations. The order was given by Acting Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric Smith, and confirmed by Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jim Stenger.
During the pause, Marine aviation units will revisit safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness. The two preceding incidents happened in August.
On August 24th, a combat jet belonging to the Marine Corps, specifically an F/A-18 Hornet, tragically crashed near San Diego, resulting in the death of the pilot. The circumstances surrounding the accident are still under examination. Just a few days following this incident, a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey went down during military training operations in Australia. This unfortunate event claimed the lives of three U.S. Marines, and five others are in serious condition. The two crashes are believed to be unrelated, but both have been classified as Class-A mishaps by the Marine Corps – a categorization that represents incidents that lead to a loss of life or property damage exceeding $2.5 million. Given the severity of these incidents, the Marine Corps have temporarily halted aviation operations. The Marine Corps issued a statement explaining that the halt allows for an increased emphasis on their existing rules and regulations to ensure public safety and the well-being of their Marines and sailors, in order to maintain a prepared and proficient combat force.
Unusual Incident: F-35 Jet Pilot Ejects and Parachutes into Residential Backyard
- A training exercise involving an F-35 fighter jet took a surprising turn when the pilot was compelled to eject, subsequently landing in a South Carolina resident’s backyard.
- The pilot managed to parachute to safety on Sunday, as reported by the Associated Press.
- A training mishap forced the pilot to eject from the F-35B Lightning II jet.
According to the Associated Press, a mishap during a training exercise led to the pilot of the US stealth fighter jet ejecting and parachuting into a South Carolina home’s backyard. The Associated Press, referring to an unnamed official from the US Marine Corps, reported that the pilot of the $100 million F-35B Lightning II jet landed safely in the backyard as the jet continued to fly without a pilot, eventually crashing.
F-35 Fighter Jet in South Carolina, The unidentified pilot suffered minor injuries and was later discharged from a local health facility. The jet experienced a malfunction while flying at approximately 1,000 feet, just a mile away from Charleston International Airport, prompting the pilot to eject, as stated in a situation report obtained by the Associated Press.
The pilot didn’t know where his plane had crashed, as reported in an emergency medical services call from Charleston County, which was later shared online by a local weatherman. The stealth fighter eventually crashed into a forest 60 miles away from the point of ejection, and the debris was only discovered the following day.
“Debris was found two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston,” base officials informed Insider, cautioning locals to stay away while the recovery team worked to secure the debris field.
Local news outlet WMBF reported that sections of the aircraft were discovered near Bartells Road in Indiantown, South Carolina.
F-35 Jet Wreckage Discovered in South Carolina after Pilot’s Safe Ejection
The debris of a missing F-35 military jet, from which the pilot had safely ejected, has been located in South Carolina, according to military authorities.
The remains of the expensive aircraft, valued at $100 million (£80 million), were found in the rural region of Williamsburg County following its disappearance on Sunday afternoon. The pilot managed to escape by ejecting over a North Charleston neighbourhood and parachuting to safety. The public had been called upon to aid in the search for the jet.
The military confirmed on Monday that the debris was discovered “two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston”. Footage reveals a long, narrow scrape in a forested area where parts of the machinery have torn down trees because of the crash.
Williamsburg County’s sheriff’s office has rerouted traffic from the nearby country roads due to the “large field of debris” and hasn’t given a timeframe for when they will be open again. No injuries have been reported and the sheriff’s office confirmed that they did not receive any calls about a possible crash or loud noises in the recent days.
Search efforts had been concentrated around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, north of Charleston city, which is the jet’s last known location. A military spokesperson has confirmed the debris as the wreckage of the missing aircraft to the BBC.
“The incident is currently being investigated. To maintain the integrity of the investigative process, we can’t disclose any further details,” said the Marine Corps on Monday, once the search operations were concluded. The public has been requested to stay clear of the area to allow the investigators to conduct their work.
F-35 Fighter Jet in South Carolina, Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the stealth fighter plane, is assisting with the governmental investigation, a representative from the company confirmed.
The jet was on autopilot when the pilot ejected, making its discovery more difficult as it could have continued flying for a while, a spokesperson at Joint Base Charleston told NBC News.
