Debris From Missing F-35 Fighter Jet Found in South Carolina

Debris from a missing F-35 fighter jet was found in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. The debris field was located about 60 miles (96 km) northeast of Joint Base Charleston.

The debris was found after a U.S. Marine Corps pilot ejected from the jet after a malfunction on Sunday. The pilot was quickly and safely recovered.

The debris field was found on Monday, a day after the jet went missing. The search for the jet turned into a recovery mission on Tuesday.

The Marines are pausing all flight operations for two days. Residents are being asked to avoid the area while the recovery team secures the debris field.

But many questions remain amid an ongoing investigation into the incident. The U.S. Marine Corps hasn’t yet released much information about how the “most expensive” aircraft went missing and crashed.

“How in the hell do you lose an F-35?” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”

The Marine Corps is handling the investigation, now documented as a “Class-A mishap,” according to the defense agency. That occurs when damages reach $2.5 million or more, a Department of Defense aircraft is destroyed, or someone dies or is permanently disabled.

A two-day stand down was ordered for the Marine Corps on Monday as they searched for the jet, acting Commandant Gen. Eric Smith said in a release.

The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing of the Marine Corps didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Details about how the jet went missing haven’t yet been released. The jet originated from the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina, about an hour north of Savannah, Georgia. A spokesman from Joint Base Charleston told NBC News the aircraft was on autopilot when the pilot ejected.

Airmen from Joint Base Charleston, which houses military operations and wings for the Air Force and Navy, spoke to residents near the crash site about the operation to recover the fighter jet Monday.

During the stand-down, aviation commanders will review the defense agency’s flight practices, procedures and policies. The order will also ensure the Marine Corps is “combat ready.”

“This stand-down is being taken to ensure the service is maintaining operational standardization of combat-ready aircraft with well-prepared pilots and crews,” the agency said.

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