US loses $100mln jet, finds debris near airbase in South Carolina

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies+ news website
19 Sep 2023 08:42

A senior analyst tells BBC that a plausible sequence of events is that when the pilot ejected, the electronics for the transponder were fried.

Visitors take pictures of an F35 Lightning 2 fighter plane at the Farnborough Air Show fair in Farnborough, England, Monday, July 18, 2022 (AP)

It was announced this morning that the debris of the F35 jet, which went missing on Sunday, was found two hours northeast of the Charleston military airbase.

"Personnel from Joint Base Charleston and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, in close coordination with local authorities, have located a debris field in Williamsburg County. The debris was discovered two hours northeast of JB Charleston," an official statement from the Joint Base Charleston.

Personnel from Joint Base Charleston and @MCASBeaufortSC, in close coordination with local authorities, have located a debris field in Williamsburg County. The debris was discovered two hours northeast of JB Charleston.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 18, 2023

The missing jet, an FB-35B Lightning II, belonged to the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, which trains pilots.

The pilot ejected from the cockpit and parachuted to safety leaving the stealth jet on autopilot, a spokesperson at Joint Base Charleston told NBC News.

"The mishap is currently under investigation, and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process," the Marine Corps said.

"A plausible sequence of events is that when the pilot ejected, the electronics for the transponder were fried and thus the military was no longer able to track its location," JJ Gertler, a senior analyst at the Teal Group, a defense consultancy, told the BBC.

Following what authorities have classified as a "mishap", a pilot operating an F-35 aircraft in South Carolina's southern region ejected from the plane on a Sunday afternoon, prompting an unusual call to the people to help locate the missing multimillion-dollar plane.

The pilot survived, but the military faced a significant predicament; they couldn't locate the jet. Consequently, Joint Base Charleston sought assistance from local residents.

We’re working with @MCASBeaufortSC to locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap this afternoon. The pilot ejected safely. If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023