Audio released in F-35B crash after aircraft found in South Carolina
New details, including an audio recording of radio calls between Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers, have been released in the U.S. Marine Corps F-35B crash in South Carolina, according to a report in The War Zone.
The fighter jet, largely built at Lockheed Martin Air Force Plant 4 in Fort Worth, was located southwest of Charleston International Airport/Joint Base Charleston on Monday after the aircraft’s pilot ejected safely on Sunday.
The jet was on autopilot and continued on its own, but was later rendered inoperable at some point.
Air traffic controllers were heard in the audio trying to raise call signs to the pilots, including “NORDO,” a term for a plane that is not communicating, according to the report.
In a separate recording of local emergency personnel services responding to the crash, a dispatcher is heard saying, “He’s unsure of where his plane crashed,” and “Said he just lost it in the weather,” the report states.
It is unknown if weather was a factor or if the pilot lost sight of the aircraft as it continued flying, according to the report.
