Sam Amico
An F-35 fighter jet has been reported missing after the pilot was forced to eject because of a “mishap” while flying over South Carolina, authorities said.
Videos by Rare
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is working with Joint Base Charleston to try to locate the aircraft, from which the pilot was able to safely eject. He was taken to a nearby medical center in stable condition.
At the time the pilot ejected, the jet was in autopilot mode, NBC News reported. So there’s a chance it could still be flying. The outlet added that “searchers were focusing their attention north of the air base around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion based on the jet’s last-known position and coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration.”
The fact the jet had gone missing has drawn some criticism, with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. among the skeptics.
“How in the hell do you lose an F-35?” she wrote in a social media post. “How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”
Per NBC News:
“Aerospace giant Lockheed Martin describes the F-35 series on its website as the ‘most advanced fighter jet in the world,’ as well as the ‘most lethal, stealthy and survivable aircraft.’
“The F-35 family includes three single-seat variants, including the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jet, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant and the F-35C carrier.”
The jet’s responder, which typically helps locate aircraft, was not functioning, Joint Base Charleston spokesman Jeremy Huggins told NBC News.
