If you live in South Carolina and find an F-35B lying around, please call the Marine Corps

[ttyymmnn]

The aircraft was flying over South Carolina when it experienced an unknown problem. The USMC pilot ejected safely but the plane is nowhere to be found. It could have crashed, come down in a lake, or continued flying. So if you find anything, please call the Marines at the number listed below.

In a post on X, Joint Base Charleston said that based on the missing plane’s location and trajectory, the search for the F-35 Lightning II jet was focused on Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, north of North Charleston. “If you have any information that would assist the recovery teams, please call the JB Charleston Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600,” Joint Base Charleston asked the public on social media.

[Just Jeepin']

Some discussion, mostly jokes: https://opposite-lock.com/topic/84237/have-you-ever-forgotten-where-you-parked-your-car

[Arch Duke Maxyenko]

@ttyymmnn

[ash78]

"Whoever claims the reward is obviously the one who stole it, so they don't DESERVE any reward!"

--Pee Wee

[RallyWrench]

@ttyymmnn Shades of the Battle of Palmdale

[ranwhenparked]

@ash78 I always loved how unhinged that was, always seemed to be a bit of barely controlled mania under the surface of the character

[ash78]

@ranwhenparked ....it's like unraveling a giant cable knit sweater but the person making the sweater just keeps KNITTING AND KNITTING AND KNITTING!

I forgot how crazy and quotable that movie was. Haven't seen it in 10+ years...

[partypooper2012]

@ttyymmnn Aliens stole it so they can.... copy this new advanced....technology...

Change the name and few sentences and submit it as their own.

[doodon2whls]

@ttyymmnn

At the bottom of a lake fo sho.

If it was on land, it would have been found by now... Hell, there would have been a mighty smoke plume.

[ttyymmnn]

@doodon2whls said in If you live in South Carolina and find an F-35B lying around, please call the Marine Corps:

@ttyymmnn

At the bottom of a lake fo sho.

If it was on land, it would have been found by now... Hell, there would have been a mighty smoke plume.

They're saying it may have flown on in zombie mode for quite some distance, and the transponder was not turned on. They are currently running search patterns north of the ejection site.

[drVanTraveler]

@ttyymmnn They have debris now

[ttyymmnn]

@drVanTraveler

Everybody on the ground okay?

[doodon2whls]

@drVanTraveler

Saw that. Smartly, they aren't publicizing the location...

Or maybe they haven't found it and they just want the media off their case for not being able to find it initially? LOL.

It just goes to show how far you can fly an aircraft without a transponder without detection, and why they are required in controlled airspace... Of course, the military gets a free pass on that except when necessary for safety and/or traffic deconfliction... Several times I have been up minding my own biz when some DANG 166th Hercs or NJANG 177th Vipers (locally called Devils on the freq) just pop up out of no where.... or sometimes they don't show up on the fish finder at all at we fly right past each other (even several miles separation still seems close to me)...

[drVanTraveler]

@ttyymmnn
Debris found

[drVanTraveler]

@doodon2whls said in If you live in South Carolina and find an F-35B lying around, please call the Marine Corps:

Smartly, they aren't publicizing the location...

They don't want souvenir hunters.
There is often some nasty toxic stuff at fighter crash sites.

[doodon2whls]

@drVanTraveler

Large-ish remote county!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Nu9cZSLEZgPzzxsU8

[drVanTraveler]

@doodon2whls said in If you live in South Carolina and find an F-35B lying around, please call the Marine Corps:

they don't show up on the fish finder at all at we fly right past each other (even several miles separation still seems close to me)...

I'd think that maybe their fish finder is a bit different than yours..

[doodon2whls]

@drVanTraveler

Heh. Uh, yeah. Can't talk about that here...

They do however flick on ADS-B out for us propeller spinners. I have made visual contact and then had them pop up on the G1000 and/or fish finder... Fun times.

[Skyfire77]

@doodon2whls Per Tyler's article, they generally fly with a transponder/radar beacon, but this flight either didn't or the beacon malfunctioned.

So of the three planes sent out to search, I guess the CAP Cessna and "DoD" (exact branch unknown) Super King were closest.

[doodon2whls]

@ttyymmnn
AP Video of Crash Site...

Hidden in the trees!

[LooseonExit]

@doodon2whls

Pretty impressive - stealth air, land, and sea!

[doodon2whls]

@ttyymmnn

Based on the TFR location, and reports of where the pilot punched out, the aircraft flew some 55NM (63SM) before coming to grief in the woods...

Based on the reported ejection altitude of 1000MSL, and a MSA of 1400MSL in the crash area, the aircraft may have flown itself into the terrain in a controlled manner.... Imagine if the pilot had punched out higher, or there were no terrain obstacles in it's way - it could have flown for a loooong while before exhausting its fuel reserve.

TFR/NOTAM

[ttyymmnn]

@doodon2whls

Which really makes one wonder why the pilot punched out in the first place. I think he's got a lot of splainin' to do.

[drVanTraveler]

@ttyymmnn said in If you live in South Carolina and find an F-35B lying around, please call the Marine Corps:

@doodon2whls

Which really makes one wonder why the pilot punched out in the first place. I think he's got a lot of splainin' to do.

I read that the F-35 also has an auto eject. Maybe he didn't even want to punch..

[ttyymmnn]

@drVanTraveler

I hope the pilot gets some warning about that. Seems you would want to braced or otherwise physically prepared for ejection.

Premature ejection sucks!