More than 24 hours after his disappearance, the Armed forces The Americans found that Stealth aircraft F-35b that flew in automatic mode in South Carolina after the pilot ejected due to a “mishap” with the device. The plane from US Marine Corps suffered an as yet unknown technical problem, which also caused the problem Transponder – a mechanism that tracks aircraft – inoperable. Despite this, the fifth generation fighter continued to operate for some time before crashing to the ground.
The military authorities raised the alarm and called on the local population to help search for the plane. After the search, the wreckage of the plane appeared two hours northeast Military base in Charlestonwhich serves the air and naval forces, as the authorities detailed in a statement.
The plane disappeared for hours, not knowing whether it had actually flown out to sea or crashed inland. Much of the area where the plane could have ultimately crashed consists of lakes, wetlands and rural areas, according to local media.
The reasons for the “incident” with the F-35 fighter are still pending “examined”the statement said, and authorities did not provide further details to “preserve the integrity” of the investigation.
The pilot ejected safely Sunday afternoon but had to be treated at a hospital where he was in “stable” condition, authorities reported at the time.
A break for the Marine Corps
The F-35B Lightning II was stationed at an air base in Beaufort, also in South Carolina, and was part of a squadron tasked with training pilots.
After three “Class A aviation mishap” For the past six weeks, the Marine Corps has ordered a pause in flight operations, Marine Corps Commander Eric Smith said in a news release Monday. This break will last two days. During this time, all aviation units in the service will review safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures.