ON Sunday, an F-35 military jet went missing after the pilot ejected from the cockpit and parachuted to safety in the North Charleston neighborhood.
The pilot, whose name was not disclosed, was taken to a local medical center and is in stable condition.
The F-35B Lighting 2 jet, which costs $ 100 M, was left in autopilot mode when the pilot ejected, reports citing US authorities said that the plane may have been airborne for some time, and this complicated the search for its whereabouts.
The search for the jet drew great international interest, particularly after joint base Charleston posted a request on social media asking for any information that might aid in the search for the missing jet.
The incident also gained criticism, with Representative Nancy Mace in a social media post asking how it was possible to lose an F-35.
The Marine Corps announced earlier Monday that it was pausing aviation operations for 2 days following the F-35’s crash.
Lockheed Martin boasts the F-35 series as the most advanced fighter jet in the world and also the most lethal, stealthy, and survivable aircraft.
The debris was then discovered Monday evening, about two hours northeast of joint base Charleston, an air base in North Charleston US officials did not provide further details.
When asked whether the F-35 jet had crashed, Jeremy Huggins, a spokesperson at joint base Charleston, said that he was unable to elaborate.
However, he promised that more information would be forthcoming.
This is the third costly accident that occurred in recent weeks.
In August 3 US Marines were killed in the crash of a V-22B Osprey Tiltrotor aircraft during a training exercise in Australia.
On August 26, a Marine Corps pilot was killed when his combat jet crashed near a base in San Diego during a training flight.
