Military officials are hunting for a missing fighter jet after a training “mishap” forced a pilot to eject over South Carolina on Sunday, authorities said. The pilot, who was assigned to a Marines Corps training squadron, ejected and parachuted safely into a North Charleston neighborhood around 2 p.m., the service said. He was in stable condition after being taken to a local hospital, a spokesperson told the Associated Press. The F-35 Lightning II jet remained unaccounted for as of Sunday night, with officials from Joint Base Charleston saying on social media that they were working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to locate the aircraft. The social media posts directed the public to contact the base if they located the aircraft. Estimates for the value of a single F-35 fighter jet vary, but Fortunereported earlier this year that prices reported for recent foreign sales have averaged out to between $150 million and $200 million per plane.
We’re working with @MCASBeaufortSC to locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap this afternoon. The pilot ejected safely. If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600.
