WASHINGTON: The United States military said it finally found debris from a crashed F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina, a day after asking for the public’s help in locating the elusive wreckage.
The pilot of the F-35B Lightning II jet had safely ejected from the aircraft on Sunday afternoon for unknown reasons. Joint Base Charleston asked people on social media, to “please call the Base Defense Operations Center” with any information to assist the recovery teams.
The debris was located about two hours northeast of the Marine base in South Carolina’s rural Williamsburg County and local residents were being asked to stay clear of the site.
Authorities had been searching for the jet since the pilot, whose name has not been released, parachuted to safety into a North Charleston neighbourhood at about 2pm on Sunday and the aircraft continued flying in what some called a “zombie state”. The pilot was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition, the Marines said.
Military officials later appealed in online posts for any help from the public in locating the aircraft, which cost approximately $80 million. The request spurred an avalanche of jokes and memes on social media from people incredulous that the US military could lose such an advanced warplane.
READ MORE: US military asks for public help to find missing F-35 fighter jet
All Marine Corps aviation units were also ordered on Monday to pause operations for two days. The fighter jet’s main advantages, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin, are that it is nearly impossible to track with radar and is packed with advanced sensors and other gear.
General Eric Smith, the acting commandant of the Marine Corps, ordered the stand-down during which commanders will reinforce safe flying policies, practices and procedures with their Marines.
The loss of the F-35 was the third event documented as a “Class-A mishap” over the past six weeks, according to a Marine Corps announcement. Such incidents involve damages that reach a cost of $2.5 million or more, when a Department of Defence aircraft is destroyed, or someone dies or is permanently disabled.
In August, three US Marines were killed in the crash of a V-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during a training exercise in Australia, and a Marine Corps pilot was killed when his combat jet crashed near a San Diego base during a training flight.
