A pilot was ejected from a stealth fighter jet on Sunday due to an unforeseen “mishap,” prompting an investigation into the ejection as well as an effort to locate the aircraft.
The military jet was left in autopilot mode when its operator ejected from the plane, leaving open the possibility that the F-35 may be airborne, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston told NBC News.
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The jet’s transponder is also not functioning, making it even more difficult to track the plane, a spokesperson told the Washington Post.
A Marine Corps spokesperson confirmed the crash to the Washington Examiner, identifying the aircraft as an F-35B Lightning II jet and saying that “search-and-recovery efforts for the aircraft are ongoing.”
“The mishap is currently under investigation. The Department of the Navy has a well-defined process for investigating aircraft mishaps. We are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigatory process,” the spokesperson said.
F-35 fighter jets are known to be able to fly in excess of 1,000 miles without refueling, making the chances of the plane being airborne slimmer by the hour.
The pilot was able to eject safely, but the fighter jet’s advanced stealth technology has helped it evade efforts to find and recover the plane, which was last known to be located north of the air base around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion.
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The base confirmed on Facebook that the pilot was taken to a local medical center in stable condition and asked the public to “cooperate with military and civilian authorities” as the aircraft recovery effort continues.
There have been several F-35 crashes since the jets started flying in 2012, including one caused by a software glitch in October 2022 and one caused by pilot error in January 2022.
