These days an unusual call went out to the residents of the American state of South Carolina. The Air Force is asking the public for information that could lead to the location of a “missing” F-35 fighter jet. The aircraft experienced previously unknown problems during a training flight last weekend. The pilot decided to use the ejection seat to get to safety. His plane then continued to fly in autopilot mode and apparently crashed in a sparsely populated area.
The stealth multi-role fighter jet could not be located by radar. The pilot, who was able to land safely on the ground with the parachute, was unharmed, according to American media. But what makes the search for the abandoned plane more difficult: “For reasons unknown to us, the transponder was disabled,” explains Jeremy Huggins, spokesman for the responsible air base, Joint Base Charleston. For this reason, the public appeal (see tweet below) was made to the population, the spokesperson told the Washington Post. The national aviation authority FAA is also involved in the search.
According to the Air Force, the search is focused on the area north of Joint Base Charleston near Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion. On one tank of fuel, F-35 jets can fly up to 1,000 miles. However, the level of the crashed aircraft is not known. However, it is certainly possible that the plane could have traveled several hundred kilometers without the pilot.
“Cornfield bombers” and unmanned Mig-23s in Belgium
This is not the first incident of this kind: an F-106 interceptor became known as the ‘Cornfield Bomber’ in 1970. After the pilot’s emergency exit, the autopilot landed virtually undamaged in a corn field in the US state of Montana. In 1989, an unmanned Soviet MiG-23 flew almost 1,000 kilometers from Poland to Belgium and crashed into a residential building after a slow descent. The crash claimed a human life.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
