On a seemingly ordinary Sunday afternoon in Charleston County, South Carolina, an extraordinary event unfolded. An F-35B Lightning II fighter jet crashed, and the pilot ejected, parachuting into a residential backyard. The moments following this unexpected landing were captured in a 911 call that has since been released to the public.
.gif)
The Unexpected Visitor
The homeowner, who had just witnessed the pilot's unexpected arrival, made a calm yet confounding call to 911. "I guess we got a pilot at our house, and he says he got ejected from the plane," said the caller, asking for an ambulance. The operator, understandably confused by the situation, sought to clarify what had happened.
The Pilot's Plea
The pilot then took over the call. "We had a military jet crash," he explained. "I'm the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling." He added that he wasn't sure where the airplane was as it would have crash-landed somewhere after he ejected.
The Aftermath
The pilot, who fell more than 2,000 feet due to an aircraft failure, was unsure of his injuries. "I don’t know. I can’t see myself," he told the operator. However, the homeowner reassured him that he looked fine apart from a few scratches. The pilot complained of back pain but otherwise felt okay. The jet's debris field was discovered two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston after a multi-agency search on the ground and from the air. Authorities had even made an unusual plea to the public for help finding the jet. The $100 million fighter jet had gone missing and was found hours later and miles away, triggering a Pentagon investigation into the mishap that forced the pilot to eject near Charleston.
A Remarkable Event
This incident is a stark reminder of the risks and challenges faced by military pilots daily. It also highlights the resilience and quick thinking of these trained professionals in times of crisis. The pilot's ability to survive such a fall and immediately seek help is truly commendable. In conclusion, this event will undoubtedly go down in history as one of those remarkable stories where ordinary citizens and military personnel come together in extraordinary circumstances.