US military finds missing F-35 wreckage: fighter jet still operating on autopilot while pilot ejects to escape
On the evening of September 18th local time, the US military discovered the wreckage of a missing F-35 fighter jet in a rural area of Williamsburg County, South Carolina. The fighter jet took off from Beaufort Naval Air Station on the afternoon of September 17th local time, and then an accident occurred. After the pilot ejected and escaped, the fighter jet went missing near the coast of South Carolina.
The US military once posted on social media, hoping that the public would provide relevant clues and assist in searching for the fighter jet.
The US military stated in a statement on September 18th that the wreckage was found approximately 2 hours northeast of Charleston Joint Base and has been confirmed as a missing fighter jet.
Officials stated that the fighter jet had an "accident" and is currently under investigation, but did not provide further details of the accident. The public is required to stay away from the area in order for investigators to carry out their work.
A spokesperson for Charleston United Base told NBC News that the fighter jet was still in autopilot mode during the pilot's ejection and stated that it may have been flying in the air for some time, making tracking more complex.
"A more reasonable explanation is that when the pilot ejected and escaped, the electronic devices of the fighter jet were burned, so the military could no longer track its location," said J.J. Getler, a senior analyst at the American consulting firm Till Group
Getler also said, "The entire cockpit will be affected by fighter jet exhaust, so all electronic devices and chips are likely to be unable to survive, including the system that emits fighter jet position signals."
The involved fighter jet belongs to the 501 Fighter Attack Training Squadron of the Second Aviation Wing of the United States Marine Corps, which is mainly responsible for training pilots.