According to the service, an advanced Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet in the United States went missing on September 17 after a “mishap” led a pilot to eject near the Charleston area of South Carolina state.
The pilot was being treated at a local hospital, but the plane, which costs almost $90 million, couldn’t be found as of Sunday evening, according to a Joint Base Charleston spokesperson.
According to initial reports, the fighter jet could very well be flying during the immediate minutes following the pilot’s ejection.
“Emergency response teams are trying to locate the plane,” said Senior Master Sgt. Heather Stanton, Wall Street Journal reported.
The jet was assigned to a training squadron of the Marine Corps. The Joint Base sent out a message on X, now known as Twitter, urging the public to contact them if they located the plane.
“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,” it added.
The Marine Corps stated that it was gathering information and would launch an investigation.