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Mystery of the 'zombie' F-35: Hunt on for missing fighter jet that kept flying after pilot ejected

Before the F-35 fighter jet went missing, the pilot ejected out of the aircraft using a parachute and landed safely in a residential area

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: US military officials are seeking help from the public to locate a missing F-35 fighter jet after the pilot ejected out of the aircraft due to some "mishap." 

On Sunday, September 17, at around 2 pm, two aircraft were flying adjacent to each other over North Charleston. Soon after, the pilot of the missing aircraft, who has not been named, got out using a parachute and landed safely in a residential area.

According to Major Melanie Salinas, he was later taken to a hospital and is currently stable, as per Daily Mail.

How did the F-35 jet go missing?

As of now, the authorities are still investigating why the pilot had to eject himself from the aircraft, which was supposedly put on autopilot mode. 

Joint Base Charleston made a post on Facebook, noting that the missing aircraft is a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II model and belongs to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. 

Where is the missing F-35 now?

"Based on the jet’s last-known position and in coordination with the FAA, we are focusing our attention north of JB Charleston, around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion," wrote the base in an X (formerly Twitter) post about the possible location of the F-35 jet. 

The Joint Base Charleston is currently trying to locate the aircraft with the help of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, but it seems that the transponder isn't working.

While an F-35 can fly up to 1,200 miles, it is not known how much fuel was left in the tank of the aircraft when it went missing. Moreover, the officials have not yet released a statement on whether it has crashed. 

The spokesperson for Joint Base Charleston, Jeremy Huggins, said that the transponder of the F-35 is also not working for some unknown reasons. He said, "That's why we put out the public request for help."

In his statement to The Washington Post, Huggins added, "The aircraft is stealth, so it has different coatings and different designs that make it more difficult than a normal aircraft to detect," highlighting that the F-35 jets are designed to fly in the stealth mode.

Fortunately, the second aircraft returned to the base safely.

Netizens react to the missing pilot-less F-35 fighter jet

Naturally, after the unusual incident, netizens poured in with their theories about the missing F-35 jet on X (formerly Twitter). 

A user wrote, "Your iPhone and AirTag work but they claim to have lost an F-35 fighter jet over South Carolina. They don’t know where it crashed apparently. Maybe it’s a ruse to draw out the enemy."

Another grabbed the opportunity to put forward their conspiracy theories, saying, "Hilarious to read that a F-35 has gone for a joy ride. Conspiracy theory time - 1. It's actually a crashed UFO and government is creating a cover story 2. Bomber has been given to Ukraine and this bs story to cover the tracks."

Someone else stated, "I’m seeing estimates of ~$80 million or so per plane for the F-35. How in hell does the military not know where it is, especially given that we know where and when the pilot ejected?! This is embarrassing."

"The F-35 stealth fighter jet that went missing in North Charleston, South Carolina has been posted on eBay...," quipped one.

"This is BS, there will be a way for ground stations to lock and connect with the F35. America is not so dumb. IMO an F 35 has been spirited away by American deep state for use elsewhere. The scene is desperate as also there is a need to divert attention from the domestic scene," remarked a user.