Federal Agency to Investigate Missing F-35 Fighter Jet: Spokesman

U.S. B-1B bombers, F-22 fighter jets, and F-35 fighter jets fly during joint drills between the United States and South Korea on Feb. 1, 2023, in a still from video. South Korea's Defense Ministry Handout via Reuters/Screenshot via The Epoch Times

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) says the agency will investigate the disappearance of an F-35 stealth fighter jet in South Carolina, which prompted a lengthy search for the aircraft before its wreckage was located on the night of Sept. 18.

When asked by an MSNBC anchor on Sept. 19 how the plane disappeared, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby responded, “That will be something that they will investigate.”

“Believe me, after every aviation mishap, the Pentagon does what the Pentagon does; they will investigate it to try to get the answers on what happened,” he said, adding that the DOD will be “transparent” after the probe is completed. “And they‘ll ... look at their own search and recovery efforts of the aircraft itself to see whether that was conducted in all the appropriate ways. They’ll investigate this.”

The fighter jet, which is worth about $80 million, disappeared on Sept. 17 after a pilot ejected from the aircraft near a South Carolina joint base, officials said. At one point, the Joint Base Charleston asked the public for help in locating the stealth fighter jet.

Debris from the plane crash was located about two hours north of where the pilot ejected, authorities said. It isn’t clear why it took so long to locate the F-35.

Cpl. Christian Cortez, a Marine with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, told The Associated Press that details of what prompted the pilot to eject from the aircraft were under investigation.

The aircraft was located in a rural part of Williamsburg County, officials wrote on social media. Residents were asked to avoid the crash site as a military team worked to secure it.

“We are transferring incident command to the USMC this evening, as they begin the recovery process,” the joint base wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The mishap is currently under investigation, and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” the U.S. Marine Corps also said in a statement on Sept. 18.

Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston, told media outlets on Sept. 18 that the F-35 was left on autopilot when the pilot ejected, adding that officials suspected that the plane could have still been airborne after the incident.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House on June 26, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The Marine Corps on Sept. 18 also ordered a stand-down of its jets amid the search, meaning that no pilots will be able to fly until the order is lifted. It cited multiple “aviation mishaps” over the past several weeks for the order, without elaborating.

“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 Marines stated in a release. “During the safety stand down, aviation commanders will lead discussions with their Marines focusing on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness.”

The Marine Corps didn’t provide details, but there were two aviation-related incidents last month. A pilot died on Aug. 24 when a Marine Corps F-18 jet crashed near San Diego. And a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey crashed during a training exercise in Australia, leaving three U.S. Marines dead and five others injured, according to officials. The causes of both crashes are under investigation.

After those incidents, acting commandant Gen. Eric Smith last month similarly ordered all Marine Corps units to review their safety procedures.

The latest incident drew criticism from some lawmakers, who questioned how the U.S. military could lose an $80 million fighter jet.

“How ... do you lose an F-35?” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), whose district includes part of Charleston, wrote on X. “How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”

“When there is an ongoing situation which potentially threatens public safety, the Pentagon has an obligation to keep citizens and their representatives informed,” Ms. Mace said in a Sept. 18 statement.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated in a 2021 report that the F-35 program was the Department of Defense’s “most expensive weapon system program” to date. The estimated cost for the program is about $1.7 trillion for all the aircraft and their systems.

“This program is weighing options to upgrade its engine and cooling system. But it hasn’t taken some important steps, such as fully assessing the costs and technical risks of the different options. DOD also doesn’t plan to manage the upgrades as a separate acquisition program. This would limit Congress’s insight into possible future cost increases,” the GAO stated in the report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.