NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace says it’s not clear whether an F-35 jet missing since what Joint Base Charleston called a “mishap” is still in the sky or has crashed.
Mace said she was briefed on the ongoing search for the jet by the U.S. Marine Corps, which Joint Base Charleston said began after a pilot safely ejected on Sunday.
“And guess what: They didn’t have any answers. They don’t know if the plane is in the air or under the water. They could not tell me the precise location of where the pilot ejected or where the pilot landed,” she said.
Mace, who represents the First Congressional District, said she asked for a separate briefing with people who would be able to provide answers, adding that she has received “a lot of phone calls” from local leaders who she says are “frustrated with the lack of transparency and the lack of information.”
“And we’re talking about an $80 million jet. How does it just disappear? And how does the Pentagon ask for the public’s help in finding it?” she said. “It’s just a huge embarrassment.”
The incident involved a Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort F-35B Lightning II jet from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, according to public affairs specialist Jeremy Huggins. Huggins says the pilot was safely ejected and taken to a hospital where they are in stable condition.
“But quite frankly, this is a local emergency. We don’t know where the plane is, we don’t know what direction it went, we don’t know what direction it was flying and we don’t know if it’s still in the air,” she said. “And so it is a public safety issue and the public deserves answers.”
The Republican said that if the plane is still in the air flying and ends up going down in a heavily populated area, lives would be at risk.
“Now if the plane was flying over the water and crashed in the water, then obviously not a public safety issue, but the problem is, the $80 million question is, where is it, and if the beacon or transponder device within an $80 million brand new jet doesn’t work, what else doesn’t work and how much money has been invested into this program to see a jet like this fail for whatever reason.”
Multiple agencies involved in search
Florence County Sheriff T.J. Joye said his agency is also getting involved in the search for the missing aircraft. Joye said some of his deputies were at a fire training facility in the Lake City area, but additional details weren’t immediately available.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed its marine patrol is on standby as the search for a missing F-35 jet continues. Sheriff’s spokesman Amber Allen said the marine patrol unit would be ready if the military asks for assistance.
“Charleston County residents: If you locate any portion of the aircraft, DO NOT touch, DO NOT move it,” the agency said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Alert authorities immediately: 843-963-3600.”
Joint Base Charleston also said they are working with the Marine Corps and the Federal Aviation Administration to find the F-35 that was involved. They say the focus is north of the joint base, around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion.
Based on the jet’s last-known position and in coordination with the FAA, we are focusing our attention north of JB Charleston, around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023
If anyone has any information that may help locate the F-35, you are asked to call the Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office called the F-35 program the Department of Defense’s “most expensive weapon system program.”
The estimated cost for the program is nearly $1.7 trillion for the aircraft and systems.
The GAO says the program is more than 10 years behind schedule and $183 billion over original cost estimates.
This isn’t the first incident involving a Beaufort-based F-35.
In September 2018, an F-35B crashed near Little Barnwell Island. The pilot was able to safely eject from that aircraft as well.
The GAO determined the cause of that crash was a manufacturing defect in an engine fuel tube that caused it to rupture during flight resulting in the loss of power to the engine.
The first F-35s were brought to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in August 2013. The Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 was relocated from Elgin Air Force Base in Florida to Beaufort.
The base opened a new $79 million hangar for the aircraft in July 2022.
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