{"id":33069,"date":"2023-09-18T21:18:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T21:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/09\/18\/with-f-35-still-missing-marine-corps-holds-aviation-standdown\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:51:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:51:06","slug":"with-f-35-still-missing-marine-corps-holds-aviation-standdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2023\/09\/18\/with-f-35-still-missing-marine-corps-holds-aviation-standdown\/","title":{"rendered":"With F-35 still missing, Marine Corps holds aviation standdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UPDATE: Joint Base Charleston announced Monday evening that <\/i>a debris field believed to be the missing F-35<\/i><\/a> was found two hours northeast of the base.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Marine Corps is pausing its aviation operations for two days as the disappearance of a Marine Corps F-35B jet over South Carolina on Sunday remains unsolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Corps\u2019 Monday statement announcing the standdown cited three recent significant mishaps involving Marine aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the safety stand down, aviation commanders will lead discussions with their Marines focusing on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cThis stand down being taken to ensure the service is maintaining operational standardization of combat-ready aircraft with well-prepared pilots and crews.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August, a Marine pilot was killed after his F\/A-18D Hornet crashed in southern California, and three Marines were killed in an MV-22 Osprey crash in Australia days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wake of these mishaps, the acting commandant, Gen. Eric Smith, ordered every unit in the Marine Corps to review its safety practices<\/a>, and he said the Corps will establish a safety center<\/a> led by a general officer by summer 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standdown comes in addition to these measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where is the F-35?<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a Marine F-35B fighter jet is still missing after its pilot parachuted out on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pilot flying a Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 aircraft safely ejected from an F-35B on Sunday<\/a>, a 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pilot, whose name has not been released, landed in a North Charleston neighborhood at around 2 p.m. Sunday, The Associated Press reported. The pilot was transferred to a nearby medical center in stable condition, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, said Sunday.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But just what happened to the jet remains unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A day after the disappearance, the search for the stealth aircraft remains underway, with teams employing both ground and air assets, according to the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBased on the jet\u2019s last-known position and in coordination with the FAA, we are focusing our attention north of JB Charleston, around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion,\u201d Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, said on X, <\/a>formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among those involved in the investigation are Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina; 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Cherry Point, North Carolina; Navy Region Southeast; the Federal Aviation Administration; the Civil Air Patrol; and law enforcement across the state, according to the joint base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joint base has asked<\/a> the public for help in locating the aircraft, providing even more fodder for ribbing<\/a> by those startled that an approximately $100 million<\/a> fighter jet could somehow vanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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