21 January 2024 , 13:16
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After one of their F-35 fighter jets vanished in South Carolina, the US Marine Corps decided to call 911 to report their plane missing, newly released audio files show.
The plane kept flying over the Lowcountry region after the pilot was forced to eject during the "mishap" in September, according to military authorities. The pilot survived after parachuting down to a residential neighbourhood in North Charleston but a search was launched to track down the jet which disappeared on September 17, 2023.
Despite the pilot ejecting, the jet continued to travel until it disappeared from view, with officials then scrambling to try and track down its location. The search effort for the plane included a call to 911, much to the surprise of the dispatcher who answered.
READ MORE: US Air Force asks if anyone has seen missing F-35 fighter jet after pilot ejects
Audio files obtained by ABC News earlier this month show the moment a major from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort spoke to a Williamsburg County 911 dispatcher. "I believe we potentially have an aircraft that went down in Williamsburg County earlier today," the major said.
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The dispatcher asked: "You believe you have an aircraft that went down in Williamsburg County?" To which the major replied: "That is correct. We are trying to look for it and we are coming up dry so far."
On the day of the crash, the Marine Corps was able to provide coordinates of the area where they believed the jet went down. It was not previously clear whether the F-35's transponder was working during the incident.
A medical crew was assigned to the incident but was later told to stand down as officials learnt the pilot was safe. But the location of the jet was still unknown.
There was reportedly confusion among emergency services as it was unclear where the remains of the jet could have been. One official said: "If it's military and they've got a helicopter, they'll find it quicker than us. They've got more resources than we do."
A separate audio file released in September showed another 911 call made by a confused neighbour who told a dispatcher a pilot was in his home after landing in his backyard. The homeowner said: "We got a pilot in the house, and I guess he landed in my backyard, and we're trying to see if we could get an ambulance to the house, please."
The dispatcher initially sounded confused and said: "I'm sorry, what happened?" The pilot then spoke to 911 and said he was feeling "ok" after descending around 2,000 with a parachute, but said his back hurt.
The aviator said: "Ma'am, a military jet crashed. I'm the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling. I'm not sure where the airplane is. It would have crash-landed somewhere. I ejected."
A field of debris was found in a rural area near the border of Williamsburg and Florence counties - more than 75 miles from the area where the pilot landed - the day after the jet went missing. It is not yet known what caused the incident, and it is estimated that the crash led to a roughly $100million (£78million) loss. In September, the Marine Corps announced the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing would conduct an investigation into the incident, saying it would likely continue for several months.