How can you lose an $80 million plane?
Well, all it takes is for the pilot to eject, for the transponder to suffer an “unexplained error,” and for the aircraft in question to be an F-35, a fighter known for its…stealth is. This Sunday the pilot is one F-35 fighter aircraft ejected mid-flight. The pilot, who was able to land safely after deploying his parachute, was found safe from stroke in a residential area of Charleston, South Carolina (USA), not far from the air base, at 2:00 p.m. local time.
Also read:
Pilot gets out, F-35 fighter plane mysteriously disappears from radar: “A debris field” finally found
But even though the pilot is safe and sound, the plane remained untraceable for many hours. So much so that the base in Charleston issued an appeal to the public to locate the plane, which could have traveled hundreds of miles given its fuel level and the fact that the autopilot was engaged.
Forgot the driver?
Finally, “authorities discovered a debris field (that) Monday afternoon” in Williamsburg County. “Community members should avoid the area while the recovery team secures the debris field,” Joint Base Charleston said. Some witnesses claim to have seen the plane “flying upside down” before it crashed.
This Thursday we learned that the pilot had abandoned his plane “due to bad weather,” the New York Post reports. “He doesn’t know where his plane crashed, he said he only lost it because of the bad weather,” we hear from a recording of emergency services sent to the scene and shared on social media.
So what happens if we are attacked in bad weather?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 21, 2023
A reason that amused the network, including Elon Musk: “So… what happens if we are attacked in bad weather?” jokes the boss of the social network
On the other hand, it is still impossible to know why the aircraft’s tracking system was not activated: a malfunction or forgetfulness of the pilot?