On a training flight, in September 2023, an F-35B fighter jet experienced a malfunction at approximately 1,000 feet, leading to the ejection of its pilot and the jet’s subsequent crash some 60 miles away. The bizarre sequence unfolded on September 18, 2023, just north of Charleston International Airport, prompting a pause in U.S. Marine Corps flight operations amid broader concerns about the F-35 program’s recent incidents.
After ejecting, the 47-year-old Marine Corps pilot parachuted into a resident’s backyard in North Charleston, S.C., leading to a 911 call that encapsulated the perplexing situation. The homeowner can be heard saying, “I guess we got a pilot at our house, and he says he got ejected or he ejected from the plane. So, we just seeing if we could get an ambulance please.” The dispatcher’s understandable confusion is palpable as the pilot takes over the call, explaining, “We had a military jet crash. I’m the pilot. We need to get it rescue rolling. I’m not sure where the airplane is. It would have crash-landed somewhere. I ejected.”
The F-35B, part of the $1.7 trillion F-35 program, is designed with sophisticated software that allows it to maintain “normal flight equilibrium” or a “1G state” even without a pilot. “When coupled with the F-35’s stealth capabilities, tracking the jet had to be done through non-traditional means,” the statement said. Thunderstorms carrying heavy rain and periods of reduced visibility — with cloud ceilings below 1,000 feet further — also hampered search efforts, the official’s statement said. Nevertheless, the jet’s stealth capabilities and an emergency protocol that erases secure communications upon pilot ejection complicated the tracking and recovery efforts, with the jet broadcasting an unclassified “Mode 3C” signal.
The adverse weather conditions, including thunderstorms with heavy rain and reduced visibility, further obscured the search, which lasted over 28 hours. With the Emergency Locator Transmitter being part of the ejection seat, it proved ineffective for tracking the aircraft post-departure. Consequently, the jet was located in a field near Indiantown, South Carolina, more than a day later.
Relevant articles:
– Dramatic 911 call reveals moments after pilot ejected from F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina, ABC Chicago
– Pilot of downed F-35 parachuted into residential backyard, marinecorpstimes.com
– Ejected pilot of F-35 that went missing told 911 dispatcher he didn’t know where fighter jet was, cbsnews.com
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