Tipsheet

The Bizarre Tale of the Missing F-35 Might Have Ended

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  September 18, 2023 9:30 PM

Is it over? A debris field in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, has been discovered, approximately two hours north of Joint Base Charleston, where this military kerfuffle with an F-35 jet occurred. A “mishap” occurred during a routine flight, causing the pilot to eject. This person is fine, having been listed as stable at a local hospital. The issue is that the autopilot was engaged before ejection, causing some to speculate the aircraft's location. Where did it go? 

The plane was officially missing, leading the Marine Corps to issue a two-day stand-down order today on all aircraft inside and outside the United States in hopes of finding the phantom plane:

Calling the case of a still-missing F-35 jet a "mishap" may be one of the greater understatements made by a U.S. government entity in recent memory, but the Marine Corps announced Monday afternoon that it was taking rather drastic action as the search continues for their runaway aircraft. 

"Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith on Monday issued a two-day stand-down to take place at some point this week for all aviation units both inside and outside of the United States," a Marine Corps spokesperson told ABC News. 

"No units are allowed to fly until they have a two-day discussion about safety measures and procedures, the commandant said in a service-wide email on Monday," reported ABC News. "While the Marine Corps commandant said he has full confidence in the aviation units, he said he felt this was the 'right and prudent' thing to do given both this incident and another recent incident in Australia." 

It looks like the Marines could rescind that order, given the news of the debris field (via ABC News): 

A debris field has been found in South Carolina during the search for a F-35 fighter jet that had gone missing after a "mishap" on Sunday, military officials confirmed in a statement on Monday night. 

Officials said the debris was found in Williamsburg County some two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston, which is now handing off command to the Marine Corps. 

The pilot of the craft had "safely ejected" during the incident, authorities previously said. 

A Marine Corps spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday "we are currently still gathering more information and assessing the situation. The mishap will be under investigation." 

"We are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process," officials said in the statement on Monday. 

"We would like to thank all of our mission partners, as well as local, county, and state authorities, for their dedication and support throughout the search and as we transition to the recovery phase," the officials said. 

We’ll keep you updated.

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Yeah, the search is over.