Last week, the pilot of the F-35 fighter jet, which had gone missing, was forced to eject due to an “aircraft failure” and subsequently dialled 911 upon landing in a resident’s garden.
The incident unfolded in Charleston, South Carolina when the pilot encountered an issue with the aircraft and ejected from it, reported BBC. The audio recording of the 911 call has now been made public, revealing the pilot’s uncertainty about the whereabouts of the $100 million aircraft. In the audio pilot can be heard saying that he was ‘not sure’ where the jet fighter was.
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The homeowner can also be heard explaining that the pilot had landed in his backyard whereas, on the question made by the emergency control room, the pilot’s feeble response that he was ‘okay’ could be heard in the audio.
In the recorded call, the pilot urgently informed, “Ma’am, a military jet crashed. I’m the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling,” as detailed in the four-minute transcript released by the BBC.
He continued, “I’m not sure where the aeroplane is. It would have crash-landed somewhere. I ejected.”
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The pilot also requested an ambulance, while the homeowner stressed the need for medical attention, saying, “I guess he landed in my backyard. We’re trying to see if we could get an ambulance to the house, please.”
Following the incident, the pilot was transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
The BBC report highlighted the mystery of how the plane remained in a stable condition after the pilot’s ejection. The Marine Corps suggested that the aircraft’s flight control software might have played a role in maintaining stability even without the pilot’s manual control.
On Monday, debris from the missing jet was discovered in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, a day after the incident. In response to the news of the F-35’s disappearance, the US Marines issued an order to ground all Marine Corps aircraft, both domestically and abroad.
The Pentagon clarified in a statement that this operational pause aims to facilitate discussions on aviation safety matters and the sharing of best practices among units.
