US authorities have found the wreckage of the F-35 fighter jet that crashed in South Carolina on Sunday and had been missing since then, the US Navy said on Monday.
The debris field was located in rural Williamsburg County, according to Marine Corps Joint Base Charleston.
What remains of the F-35 was located about two hours northeast of the base and residents of that area were urged to avoid the area while recovery operations take place, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The reasons for the incident involving the F-35 fighter are still “under investigation,” the US military stressed in the statement, without providing further details to “preserve the integrity” of the investigations.
Since Sunday, US authorities have been searching for the F-35 stealth fighter, which remained partially unidentified after the pilot ejected and reached the ground safely by parachute.
The pilot was transported to a hospital and was in stable condition, Marine Maj. Melanie Salinas said.
The Marine Corps announced Monday it would suspend operations for two days while authorities searched near two South Carolina lakes.
Authorities also asked for help from citizens in finding the F-35, an unusual request that immediately sparked several reactions and raised doubts about how it was possible to lose a fighter plane that costs at least 74.8 million euros.
“We knew the F-35 was stealth, but this is ridiculous”pointed out Nancy Mace, Republican representative from South Carolina, on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
One of the spokespersons for the Charleston base, Jeremy Huggins, explained to the Washington Post that the fighter had a receiver-transmitter device that could locate it, but that it did not work “for some reason” that has not yet been determined. had been identified. determined.
On X, funny comments piled up about the disappearance of this equipment belonging to the prestigious United States Marine Corps.
Social network users shared doctored posters with the text ‘wanted’: “F-35 missing. $500 reward.”
Because the United States has already provided billions of dollars in military aid to Kiev, many shared a photo – also manipulated – of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, smiling, posing in front of a fighter jet.
One of the Internet users asked: “Have you looked in Ukraine?”
One of the theories was that the fighter plane continued to fly on autopilot to an uncertain destination. In 1989, a Soviet MIG-23 from Poland crashed near Kortrijk, Belgium, after flying more than 900 kilometers without a pilot, who had also ejected.
Source: DN
