North Charleston’s F-35B Incident: What We Know
In September 2023, the skies over North Charleston experienced a bizarre incident involving a Marine Corps F-35B fighter jet that left everyone on the edge of their seats. What started as an ordinary training mission for the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 quickly turned into a lengthy mystery after one of the jets went missing for roughly 28 hours.
It All Happened on September 17
On September 17, around 1:30 p.m., two F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters were flying in the vicinity of Joint Base Charleston when disaster struck. One pilot was forced to eject and, thankfully, landed safely in North Charleston. He was then transported to a local medical facility for precautionary care, while the second pilot returned safely to base.
However, the first jet, now without a pilot, kept soaring through the skies in what can only be called a curious twist of fate. The aircraft had its autopilot engaged and continued to fly unmanned for over 11 minutes before crashing in a rural area about 64 nautical miles northeast of the base.
The Investigation Unveils Pilot Error
Despite the dramatics, the investigation into the incident, conducted by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), concluded that the mishap resulted from pilot error. Initial reports suggested that the pilot was trying to climb out during a missed approach in challenging weather conditions, which included heavy rain and what we like to call “instrument meteorological conditions”.
What followed was an extensive investigation to uncover the truths behind the crash. Marine Corps officials stated that the pilot had misdiagnosed an emergency situation and, despite being in a flyable aircraft, opted to eject erroneously. Understanding the challenging weather and several aircraft malfunctions certainly plays a part in this story!
Technical Glitches at Play
Compounding the drama were various electrical failures during the flight, which disabled critical systems like the primary radios, transponder, the tactical air navigation system, and the instrument landing system. Even the helmet-mounted display was reported to be non-operational at times. Boy, talk about a tough day at the office!
Notably, the 2nd MAW emphasized that these electrical issues were unrelated to any maintenance failures; they followed proper schedules and inspections. Hence, it sounds like this pilot really faced a perfect storm of challenges!
Meet Col. Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo
The pilot involved was identified as Colonel Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo, an experienced aviator with an impressive 27 years of active military service. Even though he faced serious injuries, including two fractured vertebrae from the incident, he was cleared to fly again and shortly afterward resumed command at a different squadron in Yuma, Arizona. Now that’s resilience!
What It Means Going Forward
While the investigation pointed to pilot error, the Marine Corps concluded that no punitive actions would be taken against Del Pizzo. However, just three months later, he was relieved of his command by Commandant Gen. Eric Smith.
The crashed F-35, worth between $80 million and $100 million, was not carrying live weapons at the time of the mishap, a small relief in an otherwise challenging story of military aviation. And let’s not forget, this wasn’t the first time an F-35 from the same squadron has gone down; another crash occurred back in 2018 for entirely different reasons.
The Final Countdown
After nearly 28 hours in the wild, the wreckage was finally located late on September 18. As technology advances, it raises questions not only about the capabilities of mankind but also the technology we harness. For now, we can only hope that lessons learned from this incident will help prevent similar mishaps in the future.
To read the complete investigation report, you can check it out on the Marine Corps’ official website.
