Debris found from F-35 fighter jet that crashed in South Carolina; Marines pause operations
Debris from a Marine Corps F-35 stealth fighter jet that crashed in South Carolina after the pilot ejected and parachuted to safety was found Monday, authorities said, the third costly accident in recent weeks.
The pilot ejected and parachuted safely into a North Charleston, South Carolina, neighborhood at about 2 p.m. on Sunday. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was in stable condition, Maj. Melanie Salinas said.
The pilot’s name has not been released.
Officials located a debris field two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston on Monday. Residents were told to avoid the area as rescue teams begin the recovery process. The U.S. Marine Corp will take over the incident.
Acting Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith ordered the stand-down while authorities searched near two South Carolina lakes for the missing FB-35B Lightning II aircraft.
It’s the third event documented as a “Class-A mishap” over the past six weeks, according to a Marine Corps announcement. Such incidents occur when damages reach $2.5 million or more, a Department of Defense aircraft is destroyed, or someone dies or is permanently disabled.
'This stand down is being taken to ensure the service is maintaining operational standardization of combat-ready aircraft with well-prepared pilots and crews,' Marine Corps officials said in a news release.
Commanders will spend the stand-down reinforcing safe flying policies, practices and procedures with their Marines, according to the Monday release.
The announcement gave no details on the two previous incidents. But in August, three U.S. Marines were killed in the crash of a V-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during a training exercise in Australia, and a Marine Corps pilot was killed when his combat jet crashed near a San Diego base during a training flight.
Cpl. Christian Cortez, a Marine with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said the search for the fighter jet in South Carolina was ongoing Monday. Exactly what happened was under investigation, he said.
Focus on the search
The F-35B Lightning II jet began its flight from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The aircraft was part of a Marine fighter attack training squadron with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Officials searched north of Joint Base Charleston near Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion based on the aircraft’s last known location. Two planes were flying together but there is no evidence that one interfered with the other.
The second jet landed at Joint Base Charleston, according to officials.
A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division helicopter joined the search for the F-35 after some bad weather cleared in the area, Senior Master Sgt. Heather Stanton at Joint Base Charleston said.
The planes and pilots were with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing based in Beaufort, near the South Carolina coast.
Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: F-35 military fighter jet: Debris found after South Carolina crash
