Sept. 19 (UPI) — A debris field has been found in the U.S. military’s search for a lost stealth F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina, after the pilot ejected Sunday afternoon because of a “mishap.”
The debris was located in Williamsburg County, about two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston, officials said Monday evening. No other details were given.
“Members of the community should avoid the area as the recovery team secures the debris field,” Joint Base Charleston tweeted. “We are transferring incident command to the [U.S. Marine Corps] this evening, as they being the recovery process.”
On Sunday, Joint Base Charleston said in a statement online that a pilot flying an F-35B Lightning 11 jet had been involved in an unexplained “mishap” that resulted in the aviator ejecting from the aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force defines a mishap as “any unintended occurrence … that results in death, injury, illness or property damage” and that requires an investigation.
Officials said the pilot was safe and was transferred to a local medical center in stable condition. Emergency response teams were deployed to search for the aircraft, which had been left in autopilot and is believed to have remained airborne for some time.
The base issued a statement Sunday, requesting the public’s help to find the missing jet.
“The public is asked to cooperate with military and civilian authorities as the effort continues,” it said. “If you have information that would assist the recovery teams, please call the JB Charleston Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said online that she is “grateful” to the men and women in uniform who risk their lives daily for the American people.
“Now that I got that out of the way. How the hell do you lose an F-35?” she said in a tweet. “How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”
Joint Base Charleston spokesman Jeremy Huggins told The Washington Post that the aircraft’s transponder, which is used to locate the plane, was not working.
He added that the F-35, which is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world, is a stealth aircraft coated in designs that make it difficult to detect.
“So, that’s why we put out the public request for help,” he said.
