US Air force officials asked the public to help find a fighter jet lost over South Carolina after its pilot ejected.
A Marine pilot ejected safely from an F-35B Lightning II near North Charleston on Sunday afternoon after a “mishap,” say military officials, who are searching for his missing aircraft in two lakes north of the city.
The pilot bailed out safely in North Charleston about 2 p.m. and was transported to a local hospital, where he was listed as stable, according to Maj. Melanie Salinas. The name of the pilot was not released right away.
“Based on the plane’s location and trajectory, we narrowed our search to Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion,” said Senior Master Sergeant Heather Stanton at Joint Base Charleston. Both bodies of water are north of North Charleston.
In South Carolina, Stanton added that a state law enforcement helicopter was brought on for the search after the weather cleared. Officials are looking into why the pilot ejected, authorities said. The pilot of another F-35 was able to return safely to Joint Base Charleston.
