CHARLESTON, S.C. — A Marine Corps investigation into the crash of one of the world's most advanced military aircraft in South Carolina a year earlier found the pilot at fault but acknowledged multiple system errors and poor weather likely contributed.
The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing released a statement on Thursday summarizing the investigation into the "mishap" that involved a pilot ejection and an unmanned F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter flying for more than 60 miles before crashing in a rural area.
The crash happened on Sept. 17 and involved an F-35B jet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. The investigation found that the pilot ejected from the aircraft during "instrument meteorological conditions" and heavy rain near Joint Base Charleston while attempting to climb out of a missed approach. The report said that while the decision to attempt a landing was justified, the pilot's eventual decision to eject was in error.
"The pilot incorrectly diagnosed an out-of-controlled flight emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft, albeit during a heavy rainstorm compounded with aircraft electrical and display malfunctions," the report summary states.
Those malfunctions included "failures to both primary radios, a transponder, the tactical air navigation system, and the instrument landing system." The report also points to the probability that the helmet-mounted display and panoramic cockpit display weren't working at three points during the mishap.
"This caused the pilot to become disoriented in challenging instrument and meteorological conditions," the summary states.
However, the report states that the aircraft was still airworthy during the mishap, as referenced by its 11-minute, 21-second flight without a pilot that ended in a crash 64 nautical miles away in Williamsburg County. The report also suggested a transponder malfunction, eventual flight below radar and the aircraft's "low-observable technology" may have impacted the loss of contact.
The report summary states that, despite the electrical issues behind the system glitches, the incident was unrelated to the aircraft's maintenance since "all preventative, scheduled, and unscheduled maintenance conducted on the aircraft was correct and in keeping with established standards."
Search crews didn't find the aircraft until the next day, Sept. 18, and cleanup began on Sept. 19. The Marine Corps summary said that the only property damage reported in the incident included forest land and crops. Multiple government agencies were involved in the recovery and environmental cleanup efforts, which included the removal of affected crops, underbrush and trees. Those were completed and "sufficient and in keeping with established procedures." No injuries were reported on the ground.