US military asks public for help finding missing F-35 fighter jet after 'mishap' leads pilot to eject
The US military has asked for the public's help in finding a missing fighter plane which could have travelled hundreds of miles on autopilot after the pilot ejected over South Carolina.
The pilot of the US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II managed to safely eject following an undisclosed "mishap", but the location of the downed machine is unknown.
The search for the missing aircraft is now focused on two lakes north of the city of North Charleston.
Military expert and former British military officer Frank Ledwidge told Newsweek that depending on how much fuel was in the aircraft, the F-35 could potentially have flown on for hundreds of miles without its pilot.
He explained: "Historically, an aircraft without a pilot can fly a long way on autopilot."
Joint Base Charleston, an air base in the area, said it was working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to "locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap".
According to a Facebook post by the base, the pilot ejected safely and was transferred to a local medical centre in a stable condition.
It also called for anyone with information that could assist recovery teams to get in touch.
Police helicopters have been taking part in searches over Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion after bad weather cleared.
Officials are investigating why the pilot ejected. The pilot of a second F-35 returned safely to Joint Base Charleston.
The planes and pilots were attached to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 based in Beaufort, not far from South Carolina's Atlantic coast.
The squadron's role is to conduct combat-capable fighter/attack training across the full spectrum of combat operations for selected aircrew in order to fulfil their annual F-35B pilot training requirements.
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