On 17 September, United States military officials sought help from the public to find an F-35 fighter jet. When the pilot ejected, the military lost track of the fighter jet somewhere over South Carolina, but the plane continued flying on autopilot. The fighter jet that has gone missing is worth USD 150 million.
BREAKING: US $80m Jet Missing | Flying With No Pilot
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 18, 2023
Military officials are searching for a jet after the pilot ejected. The jet has not crashed and has continued to fly on autopilot.
"The public is asked to cooperate with military authorities as the recovery effort continues" pic.twitter.com/jnof2YP9Dd
A Marine Corps pilot ejected the F-35B Lightning II Jet over North Charleston on the afternoon of 17th September after a mishap. The search for the missing fighter jet has focused on two lakes located north of North Charleston.
Major Melanie Salinas said that at around 2 PM, the pilot parachuted safely, after which he was taken to the hospital. The pilot’s name has not been released to the media by the military. Senior Master Sergeant Heather Stanton at Joint Base Charleston said that based on the location and trajectory of the missing fighter jet, the search had been focused around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion. Stanton added that the search operation was started with a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter after bad weather cleared the area.
Based on the jet’s last-known position and in coordination with the FAA, we are focusing our attention north of JB Charleston, around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023
Local Congresswoman Nancy Mace expressed shock over the reports and questioned how the military could lose a fighter jet. She said, “How in the hell do you lose an F-35? How is there not a tracking device, and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”
Now that I got that out of the way. How in the hell do you lose an F-35?
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) September 18, 2023
How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?
It is unclear under what circumstances the pilot ejected the fighter jet.
