The United States Marines has found the debris of the F-35B that was claimed to have disappeared. The United States Military, along with other agencies, as well as local authorities, participated in the search for the missing aircraft.
By: Haotian Published On: 19 September 2023, 3.40pm (GMT +8)
A F35B Performing VTOL. Photo: Lockheed Martin (www.lockheedmartin.com)
A F-35B which has been reported lost by the United States Marines, was found with its debris in Williamsburg, South Carolina, on Monday (18 September 2023). The fighter jet had kept flying on autopilot for a while after the pilot ejected on Sunday, which subsequently crashed in South Carolina. Authorities had also asked the general public to keep an eye out for any signs of the missing aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing from MCAS Cherry Point, Navy Region Southeast, and the Civil Air Patrol, as well as law enforcement in South Carolina, had also worked with the United States Military to locate the F-35B. Joint Base Charleston, a base in South Carolina, has confirmed via a social media post on Monday, that debris from the jet was found in Williamsburg. "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." The Joint Base added in the statement: "We would like to thank all of our mission partners, as well as local, county, and state authorities, for their dedication and support throughout the search and as we transition to the recovery phase." Joint Base Charleston released a statement on Sunday (17 September 2023) afternoon that an F-35B was involved in a mishap. While the pilot did eject in time from the aircraft safely and was provided medical treatment, and was in a stable condition, the Base asked the public to inform them for any information to help the recovery teams find the jet. Based on the aircraft’s last known location, search efforts involved the base focusing to the north, near Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion. A Twitter post from flightradar24.com, an airplane tracking website, shows the flight path of different aircrafts that searched for the F-35 based on where it was last tracked. However, the F-35B's transponder was not in working condition, which made tracking the exact path it flew really challenging for the authorities.
Flight Path of the Aircraft. Photo: Twitter/Flightradar 24 (www.twitter.com/flightradar24)
A Marine Corps released a statement on Monday which claimed that officials are looking to "discuss aviation safety matters and best practices" sometime this week. It added that the missing jet has been the third "Class-A mishap" in the past six weeks. A "Class-A mishap" is a category of incident which causes more than US$2.5 Million Dollars worth of damages. It did not add any information about the other two incidents. In 2018, the US military temporarily grounded its entire fleet of F-35 jets after a crash in South Carolina, making this not the first time an F-35 jet has crashed.
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