Marines Lose (And Later Find) F-35B 

This is why you don't stow your crayons near the ejection handle!

What if the plane ejected the pilot so it could be free and went seeking its own fortune with other F35s, Roombas and disembodied ChatGPTs?

On 4 July 1989, a pilotless MiG-23 jet fighter of the Soviet Air Forces crashed into a house in Bellegem, near Kortrijk, Belgium, killing one person. The pilot had ejected over an hour earlier near Kołobrzeg, Poland, after experiencing technical problems, but the aircraft continued flying for around 900 km (600 mi) before running out of fuel and descending into the ground.

Mover, I just wanted to say this: you nailed the thumbnail. That is perfection right there.

From what i heard from Alex Holings, the F-35 didn't have the Luneberg lenses on, and of the few malfunctions it had, the transponder was one of the things malfunctioning too. So it couldn't squak code, and on top of that it's really stealthy

I was a young officer in 1981 assigned to acquisition (yeah, I know, there were the wooden plaques over some desks, "If you ain't a pilot, you ain't shit"). Being a single-engine fighter, their being many problems with the P&W F100 in those days, in my first year, they had lost 120 aircraft -- about half were pilots running into things -- the other half were engine failures of one sort or another. Of course, "they" had mitigated that a little with the incorporation of a hydrazine powered reserve - since the jet was fly by wire - and the genesis of the computer flying the plane while the pilot only provided inputs to the computer - had to have power for the flight computers - power for hydraulics - power for the stick - and of course, instruments and radios. So with 60 aircraft coming down, there were sixty stories. Your mention of the plane flying itself -- reminds me of an engine-out event in California, near Edwards. The pilot lost power, hydrazine was running, he selected a two-lane road to attempt a normal landing. The F-16 also had an early zero altitude ejection seat, so as the pilot got close to the ground, he didn't like the condition of the road, and fearing an upset, he chose to eject. The plane was already in landing mode and continued the gradual glide path to contact. The landing was rough and the plane was a write-off - but it was largely intact. A decision was made to salvage the front half, including the cockpit, and install it as an avionics test bed at the Air Force Research Lab at WPAFB. It's fun hearing y'all talk operator stuff without pooping on the support.

In my best Jeffrey Pelt voice..... "You lost another aircraft"?

This has got to be one of RU-vid's all time greatest thumbnails. Brilliant artistry.

I'm down here in New Zealand, Have one low hour F35 in my back yard under a tarp. Open to offers.

I think it's particularly cunning viral marketing. I'd be very surprised if the phrase "so stealthy even the USMC can't find them!" doesn't make it in to future brochures.

They'd have never found it without the big comb.

F-35: "I was lost and now I'm found"

Before both of you guys were born, a pilot claimed he lost control of an F-106, got tired of arguing with it so he punched out. He survived as did the F-106 who flew itself on its merry way and landed quite nicely in a farm field. (Properly with its gear up).

We didn't lose it, it just took a TDY and didn't fill out its 4392.

Launch mover in the SAR chopper! He’ll find that downed f-35!

Leave it to a Marine to get dumped (ejected) by Fat Amy on the ride home from a hop.

The spaceballs comb makes instalike forever this video

The plane was found roughly 70 miles north in a field. One reported photo shows it from the front with main landing gear down and significant damage/buckling forward of the wings. Wings and vertical surfaces appear to be relatively undamaged. Keep in mind jets almost never fly far (maybe 2 miles) without a pilot onboard. Thus the first focus is on the pilot riding the silk to the ground. The only other story I remember is the F-106 that landed in one piece in a snowy farmers field back in the 1960s or so where the plane kept flying after the pilot bailed out. In that case, it was a flat spin that was considered unrecoverable, except the ejection apparently pushed the jet out of the spin. Crazy story.

When I saw Gonky pop up on the screen, I yelled out YES BOTH OF THEM IN THIS VIDEO LOL LMAO

Well the F-35 was designed to basically not be found.

Sounds like the AI in F35 and the pilot, both being Marines, had a disagreement about who got the green crayon and the plane threw the pilot overboard.

Well look at the bright side the plane is stealth 😂😂😂

"Well Air Force, If you can't take care of your toys; Mommy and Daddy will not buy you any new ones"!!!

You know we have a couple lost nuclear weapons we still have unaccounted for over the years.

oh man, you two had me rolling in this one!

If they post some of it's photo around the neighborhood that might help, I did that with my dog, later was found. I am glad the pilot is save and no one accidently injured by this mishap.

Fat Amy ejects through the canopy?!

That thumbnail though! 😆

Just thanks for posting this video you two guys are a comedy team.

Good Lord. This has to be, in conjunction with Gonky's story of that mate who bailed out accidentally, one of the oddest mishaps in years. Hot Shots! (1991 movie) could not have done it better.

6:36 Nice try, Mover, to get Gonky to spew his coffee all over the studio, but he has better control than I have.🤣🤣🤣

I still find it funny, that something so advanced had to be looked for like it was a lost puppy. You would have thought, with all that technology you'll be able to track it's flight plan.

There is not always a fireball, we had a jet crash into soft soil with engines on and went meters deep, almost nothing visible sticking out...

No one goes home until we find it. Grab an MRE ....🤣

They're always on autopilot - they just let you think you're driving. My Dad woul liked that. He flew F-4's out of Thailand in the 60's, & F-100's around the Iron Curtain in the 70's.

'find my F-35' on android hhahaa 🤣😂😂🤣🤣

B stands for BEGONE

F22 is now and will forever be the superior aircraft

_Unrelated to the discussion:_ (am I just now, noticing?) Your graphics, audio, and layout, are really looking top-notch! 👍 👍 😎 Cheers-

HAL did not approve of the pilots inputs and pushed him out.

An undisclosed mishap in the cockpit? Did the pilot see a spider??😂

That moment when the Government ask its citizens to help find there 5th Gen Fighter

One slightly used stealth fighter available Recently acquired. One not so careful owner Awaiting a V5 / Pink Slips. Below average mileage but some light damage caused while unattended. Any questions.

MOVER! I own a print shop in utah, id love to support your channel! We can make you stickers, banners, laser engraved goodies, etc! Im not looking for anything in return, just want to support a badass guy with a great cause!

The M&G Show never disappoints 👍

William Tell 2023 just concluded in Savannah and while the Marines werent part of it the Airspace has been pretty busy.

The taxpayers want their money back.

It was in Stealth Mode, lmfao

LOL @gonkey "this is probably going to get me a hostile renaming.." LOL NO SHIT..

Some dude ejected from a Hunter over Denmark - it just glided down and performed a belly landing on the runway. A Harrier ate a goose and it lost power because of festhers in the fan, pilot ejected and blew the feathers off the fan and the Harrier climbed back up and disappeared. Jets seems to disappear all the time.

Nice one on the Spaceballs reference!

Need to have a "Lost F35 Soundtrack". First is "Cant Find My Way Home".

Dos Gringos always fits.

Dock their crayon rations immediately!

I wa still hoping on the worlds fastest stealth bass boat. Too bad they found it

Sounds eerily familiar to the cornfield bomber!

They found it in a pawn shop in Fayetteville 😂😂

When you make a jet so stealth , you can't even find it...

Who the hell gave marines current technology? This is an outrage, after this they should be relegated to nighthawk’s or some other prehistoric jet and made to think about what they’ve done.

This will be the sequel to the “Great Santini” I just know it. The pilot obviously forgot to hook up his kill switch. Can happen to the best of us!!

Funny you bring up the F-16 and China, when my gal told me about this, I instantly thought of the movie FireFox... LOL

For Gonky, it’s 501, B trainers. It had to have been a CC, doesn’t make sense to have sorties for the trainees on a Sunday. And for Mover, yes the 35 has a auto trim which is more than likely why it flew for so long after ejection but the seat should have zeroized the jet so at that moment it drops off ATC and I *think* since it would presumably drop alignment, the auto trim would also drop? But I’m unsure about that. I worked on 35s but my memory on COMNAV is a bit hazy on it

My guess is he didnt eject, it kicked him, just like last years f35 mishap.

Just listening now. Curious if you guys talk about whether the reports about the 35 could be hacked is plausible.

Found. Old black dude saw it inverted, then Boom. He wondered about America and called the next morning to the FAA. He said "Wazzup with a F-35b. I saw one yesterday.".

Ejected while still on autopilot? Is that possible?

People genuinely shocked that its hard to find a stealth fighter jet, 😂 “Wheres the tracker? “ kinda defeats the purpose of the stealthiness ya know

Best episode yet.

Love the satire clip😂

Hey Mover the 9 1 1 call for the pilot that ejected was just released.

Been waiting on ya

When your wingman ditches literally over a subdivision maybe make sure the plane doesn’t fly into a church or shopping mall? Maybe there were no wingmen?

Just looked it, the pilot landed about 2 blocks off the northend of the Charleston International/ AFB.

First off: I thought fighter jets had transponder is the same as any other aircraft? Second: the pilot is probably grounded for life and will lose his flight status?

Well we know stealth works! 😆

Very Very Glad They Were Able to Find the F35. Hoping it didn’t hit any thing when it Crashed or Hurt Any One when it Crashed. Very Very Glad the Pilot was Found Too that Ejected Safely. Also Hoping Things will Turn Out OK for The Pilot as Well. I’m Still Watching All Your Videos Love Your Content MOVER and GONKY and WOMBAT and YOU Have the BEST WINGMAN , BRO’s. I Mean That You Got This Are Great and show it on Your Topics And to the Guests You Have Invited to be on Your Show to Hear and Listen to Their Stories is also Awe Inspiring To Anyone Who Wants to be in any Aviation Field Because of Your Honesty and Witt It is also so Funny to hear the F35 and F22 are Called Fat Amy’s at least the Jet found a Good Place to be for Someone to FINALLY FIND IT Fat Amy And All Her Glory Just Sad to See She Didn’t Make It in One Piece at the End Looks like She Tried Though To Do it Right . 😂 Yes, you have to have the Funny in there to. It makes it All Great to Hear Say Hi to Lester, and Hoping You Can Get to Flying Helicopters again Missing the One 708SH I think it was Hoping Soon for You Both Take Care Out There Maybe Next Month I Can Buy Some Books And Add Some $$ to Your Fund. Maybe Maybe I Just Can’t Do Anything Right Now this Month Hoping You Can Understand.

Asking the public for help shouldn't be shamed. The public is a powerful user base that contributes massively to such things like finding killer asteroids and locating clues to falsified text messages.

Things happen to Marines... quote from intruders

Spatial disorientation brought on by IMC and possibly a new low hour aviator (VMFAT-501). Just a thought.

What baffles me is if the plane was driving itself, why the hell did he punch out in the first place?

So the guy who ejected by accident, would that end your flying career or is there a route back to operations from that? I remember in the PBS series Carrier the dude who couldn't get down and had to divert to Baghdad International wasn't allowed to fly for the rest of that deployment.

Similar happened to a Mig23 over Germany

I've got one in my garage...with my f-15 and nukes😅

Absence of post-crash fire (which would have skylined it immediately). Fuel exhaustion unlikely. Fire suppression?

Wish we could get an update on this incident.

We use Bouncie at my company to track our trucks. Does the F35 have an OBDII port?

Most fighters do not have an ELT. The ejection seat does. After safe landing, the antenna needed to be broken off. Then the pilot would talk on the hand held emergency radio.

I thought most modern combat jets had a system that would push the stick fwd after an ejection. There was an F-106 that got into a spin, flamed out and after the pilot could not successfully relight the engine he ended up punching out. The ejection pushed the nose down, the continuous ignition restarted the engine (which was at idle for the airstart) and made a gentle descent and landing on a farmers snowy field. The crash landing did little damage and the F-106 was trucked off and eventually repaired back to flying condition. After that the Air Force modified F-106 (and I assumed other fighters) to kick the stick down after ejection.

Your're telling me there not a low jack on an F35 now? LOL

What happened to the special headgear assembly that is supplied to F 35 pilots? Did he store it before jumping or did it fly off into never never land when he jumped.

Add a reward for finding it, say 1 million.

This happened about 100 miles south of me. The F35s actually stopped at my local airport to refuel and I was able to see them both takeoff. I will say there was a really bad thunderstorm rolling through the area during the time this happened so I wonder if that had anything to do with the plane malfunctioning? maybe struck by lightening?

Wait a minute, there is nothing new in this ep. This is just a rerun of the previous ep. So there are no new details about how they found the jet?

Yea I really question if they actually found it or if they are just trying to save face and make themselves look competent.

Reminded me of the old British ww2 movie called, "One of our aircraft is Missing"

Just a thought! This is the second F35B VMFAT501 has lost the first being in 2018. Did the crayon eaters not learn from the previous mishap or is there something lacking in the training. This is the USMC training squadron so what is going on here??? 🤔

What does a B model need from the pilot anyway? Loving affirmations? After the meat jumps out, It should just GPS itself to the nearest base, open water or national forest, in that order, and land.

Might have thought it had a Tesla self-drive feature.

You would figure the autopilot would disconnect as soon as the jet senses AOS (ass off seat) 😂🤷🏼‍♂️

I'm in the Charleston area. The pilot ejected over north charleston, NOT a good place to land. They speculated It may have crashed in Lake Moultrie, which is a mile from me. I thought that's a fair distance from north Charleston, not sure how it can go that far with no pilot, and the plane possibly being in a condition he felt he needed to eject from. I watched a 2 seat viper go down over the river around 15 years ago. Those guys punched out and the plane immediately went into the river, i got on the news for witnessing that. Anyhow, now sure, but it seems they may have found parts or the whole plane in Williamsburg County North west of me and Moultrie. Still a good distance from North Charleston. He punched out over a heavily populated area. Aside from losing an f35, the pilot got lucky the plane kept cruising. The whole situation is weird though.