Marines pause aviation operations for two days as search continues in US for missing fighter jet

All US Marine Corps aviation units are pausing operations for 2 days aft a combatant jet’s evident clang implicit the play marked the 3rd costly mishap successful caller weeks.

General Eric Smith, the acting commandant of the Marine Corps, ordered the stand-down connected Monday portion authorities searched adjacent 2 South Carolina lakes for the missing FB-35B Lightning II aircraft.

The pilot, whose sanction hasn’t been released, parachuted to information into a North Charleston neighbourhood astir 2pm connected Sunday. He was taken to a infirmary wherever helium was successful unchangeable condition, Marines Major Melanie Salinas said connected Sunday.

It’s the 3rd lawsuit documented arsenic a Class-A mishap implicit the past six weeks, according to a Marine Corps announcement. Such incidents hap erstwhile damages scope US$2.5 cardinal ($4.2m) oregon more, a Department of Defence craft is destroyed, oregon idiosyncratic dies oregon is permanently disabled.

Commanders volition walk the stand-down reinforcing harmless flying policies, practices and procedures with their Marines, according to the Monday release.

The announcement gave nary details connected the 2 erstwhile incidents. But successful August, 3 US Marines were killed successful the clang of a V-22B Osprey tiltrotor craft during a grooming workout successful Australia, and a Marine Corps aviator was killed erstwhile his combat pitchy crashed adjacent a San Diego basal during a grooming flight.

Corporal Christian Cortez, a Marine with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, said the hunt for the combatant pitchy successful South Carolina was ongoing connected Monday. Exactly what happened was nether investigation, helium said.

Based connected the missing plane’s determination and trajectory, the hunt was focused connected Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, said Senior Master Sergeant Heather Stanton astatine Joint Base Charleston. Both lakes are northbound of North Charleston.

A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division chopper joined the hunt aft atrocious upwind cleared successful the area, Stanton said. Military officials appealed successful online posts for immoderate assistance from the nationalist successful locating the aircraft.

The aviator of a 2nd F-35 returned safely to Joint Base Charleston, Salinas said.

The planes and pilots were with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing based successful Beaufort, adjacent the South Carolina coast.