After pilot error, F-35 fighter jet flew for 11 minutes on its own before crashing

The aviator of an F-35 combatant pitchy that concisely went missing successful September 2023 earlier crashing made an "inappropriate" determination successful ejecting from nan aircraft, a Marine Corps investigation concluded. 

The study released Thursday blamed nan clang of nan astir $100 cardinal craft connected aviator correction because "the aviator incorrectly diagnosed an out-of-controlled formation emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft, albeit nether highly challenging cognitive and formation conditions." 

On September 17, 2023, nan aviator ejected from nan F-35 during a dense rainstorm and aft experiencing a bid of electrical and show malfunctions. The F-35 continued to alert connected its ain for 11 minutes and 21 seconds for a region of astir 70 miles, subject officials said. 

The aviator landed successful a driveway, according to nan investigation, and past knocked connected nan doorway of nan homeowner to telephone 911 and study nan missing F-35. The clang tract was located a time later successful a agrarian area adjacent Hemmingway, South Carolina. 

Before it crashed, nan F-35 "plowed" done a dense forest, nan investigation said. The debris section was astir 1,800 feet agelong by astir 300 feet astatine its widest constituent amid dense forest, cotton, and soybean fields. 

Before nan F-35 crashed, it "plowed" done a dense forest, a Marine Corps investigation said. Marine Corps

The investigation attributed nan F-35's extended formation to nan automatic flight-control systems successful F-35s and said nan Marine Corps concisely mislaid way of it connected radar because it was flying low, had a surgery transponder, and besides successful portion because of nan F-35s' low-observable aliases stealth technology. 

Landing cogwheel of F-35 embedded successful character trunk, from Marine Corps investigation study released Oct. 31, 2024. Marine Corps photograph from report

Before ejecting, nan aviator knowledgeable an "electrical event" during formation that caused failures to radios, nan transponder, nan tactical aerial navigation strategy and nan instrumentality landing system. But backup systems kicked successful that kept nan craft "flyable," according to subject officials, particularly considering that "the craft continued to alert an extended play aft ejection."  

There were nary injuries connected nan ground, but nan clang caused spot harm to backstage forested onshore and crops, nan investigation said. 

The investigation does not urge immoderate reward for nan crash.