The Pentagon is facing urgent questions over how it lost an $80 million aircraft that was finally found crashed in a field just 80 miles from its base following a frantic 28-hour search.
The Marine pilot of the F-35B Lightning II took off on Sunday from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina – but an unexplained issue forced him to eject. The plane was flying in tandem with another jet, which returned to base after the mishap rather than following the pilot-less aircraft.
The second F-35 pilot, who had also been on the training mission, landed without any problems, base spokesman Tech. Sgt. James Cason said.
According to the Daily Mail, The stealth jet’s transponder, which usually helps locate the aircraft, was not working ‘for some reason that we haven’t yet determined,’ said Jeremy Huggins, another spokesman at Joint Base Charleston.
It forced the base to issue a humiliating appeal for assistance in finding the jet – even launching a hotline for tips, which was mercilessly mocked online. ‘So that’s why we put out the public request for help,’ said Huggins.
‘The aircraft is stealth, so it has different coatings and different designs that make it more difficult than a normal aircraft to detect,’ Huggins said.
Meanwhile, it emerged on Monday night the Pentagon in 2019 was concerned the plane could be vulnerable to attack by hackers – which may have sparked panic during the 28-hour search mission.
Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith issued a two-day stand-down for all aviation units both inside and outside of the United States, which was set to take place at some point this week.
No units will be allowed to fly until they have a two-day discussion about safety measures and procedures, according to an email seen by ABC News.
The plane was finally found on Monday afternoon in a county only 85 miles north of the base, with wreckage of the plane located in a well-tended field.
Aerial footage showed debris in a copse beside the field, where trees had been knocked over. The field had a large area of blackened scorched earth.
It is not known whether locals informed the military of the crash, which did not appear to have happened in a remote region. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina representative, said on Monday she had been briefed on the search, but described the incident as extremely embarrassing.
She said there were urgent questions which needed answering as to how one of the world’s most sophisticated fighter jets could vanish. ‘And guess what: They didn’t have any answers,’ she told local news station WMBF.
‘They don’t know if the plane is in the air or under the water. They could not tell me the precise location of where the pilot ejected or where the pilot landed.
‘And we’re talking about an $80 million jet. How does it just disappear? And how does the Pentagon ask for the public’s help in finding it? ‘It’s just a huge embarrassment.’ Several hours later, it was confirmed the plane had been found – but questions remained.
‘Personnel from Joint Base Charleston and @MCASBeaufortSC, in close coordination with local authorities, have located a debris field in Williamsburg County,’ the base wrote on X. ‘The debris was discovered two hours northeast of JB Charleston.
‘Members of the community should avoid the area as the recovery team secures the debris field. We are transferring incident command to the USMC this evening, as they begin the recovery process.’ It now emerges that US defense officials raised concerns about safety issues concerning the F-35 as far back as 2019.
