F-35Bs on the flightlight at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Nov. 24, 2020. U.S. Marine Corps / Staff Sgt. Brittney Vella
That F-35 that flew on after the pilot ejected? 'Pilot error' blamed
But investigators also noted multiple “aircraft electrical and display malfunctions” ahead of the crash.
The crash of an F-35 stealth fighter jet that went missing for more than 24 hours after the pilot ejected was caused by pilot error, a Marine Corps investigation found—but multiple system failures and bad weather contributed to the incident.
An F-35B jet was flying in heavy rain near Joint Base Charleston on Sept. 17, 2023, when the pilot ejected, landing in a North Charleston neighborhood. But the F-35 stayed in the air for about 11 minutes after the ejection because of the jet’s autonomy flight-control systems, according to a Marine Corps investigation released today.
Partly due to the plane’s stealth coating, it took about 30 hours for authorities to find the jet—during which social media users raised a number of strange theories and jokes about what could have happened. It was eventually found 64 nautical miles northeast of Joint Base Charleston.
The investigators pinned the blame for the crash on the pilot, but said an “electrical event” caused multiple system failures—including both radios, the transponder, the tactical air navigation system, and the instrument landing system. The helmet-mounted display—the pilot’s primary display system—and the panoramic cockpit display were not operational at least three times, the investigation said, which caused the pilot to become disoriented during the heavy rainstorm.
“The pilot incorrectly diagnosed an out-of-controlled flight emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft, albeit during a heavy rainstorm compounded with aircraft electrical and display malfunctions,” the investigation says.
The report said the pilot had extensive experience in the AV-8B Harrier jet, but a was a “relative novice” in the F-35B.
Following the crash, authorities couldn’t find the fifth-generation fighter jet because the plane’s transponder failed due to the electrical malfunction, according to the investigation, and the aircraft’s stealth coating made it much harder to locate than a traditional aircraft.
“The loss of positive radar contact with the mishap aircraft resulted from a failed transponder caused by the electrical malfunction and the aircraft’s eventual descent below the air-traffic control radar horizon. The loss of positive contact could also be partially attributed to the F-35B’s low-observable technology,” the investigation said.
After the mishap and two deadly Marine Corps aviation crashes, the service mandated a two-day aviation stand down.