HELLFIRE https://www.twz.com/air/sacked-marine-pilot-whose-f-35b-flew-without-him-after-ejecting-gives-his-side-of-the-story Charles Del Pizzo has finally given his version of the bizarre 2023 incident that resulted in his jet flying for dozens of miles without him in it before crashing. … In a truly amazing piece by Post and Courier reporter Tony Bartelme, Del Pizzo pushed back on the Marine Corps’ findings, saying he was essentially blinded in bad weather by cascading equipment malfunctions while returning to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, from a training sortie over the Atlantic Ocean. Before the incident, Del Pizzo was putting the jet through its paces as he was learning its strengths and weaknesses before taking command of VMX-1, a key operational test and evaluation squadron in Yuma, Arizona. The mishap occurred as Del Pizzo was attempting an instrument landing in the F-35B’s vertical mode in zero-visibility conditions during a raging storm. … “The helmet and main display failed a third time, differently now, as if powering down for good,” Bartelme wrote. “Instruments gone, a sea of gray outside his window. Is the plane responding? He pulled the throttle back. He glanced at the small backup panel between his legs. He heard what sounded like a motor spooling down. The engine? He felt the nose of the aircraft tilt upward. He felt a falling sensation. He still couldn’t see the ground. Was he still over the base? Over the trees?” “Forty-one seconds. Decide, act: The jet’s going into the trees, and I’m going with it. In one quick motion, he reached between his legs for the yellow handle, put his left hand over his right wrist. And pulled.” … The exact cause of the electrical malfunction may never be publicly known, because the Marines redacted it for “national security purposes,” Bartelme pointed out. “Unredacted portions ruled out some causes, though,” he wrote. “Thunderstorms were in the area, but bolts at the time of the mishap were 20 miles away and couldn’t have fried the plane’s electronics. Investigators noted that the aircraft entered heavy rain five minutes before Del Pizzo ejected. But a Marine spokesperson said its investigation found no evidence that rainwater caused the electrical malfunction.” … The Marines’ final investigation report said that “there were no punitive actions recommended” as a result of this mishap. However, more than a year later, the Marine Corps relieved Del Pizzo of command of VMX-1. … IIRC, this story was posted and shared on DSLR. Hopefully helps close the loop on what subsequently became of that story. Regards
Astyanax Here’s the scariest part: Unbeknownst to him at the time, however, the jet continued flying unmanned for another “11 minutes and 21 seconds" …looking for somebody’s house or building to crash into. I wonder if he’s related at all to Gus Grissom. 😉
real_aurgathor HELLFIRE This isn’t the first case of a pilot-less fighter jet, For example. a MIG-23 flew for about an hour after its pilot bailed out. And eventually, it did crash into a house, killing one person. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Belgium_MiG-23_crash
MacLeech real_aurgathor There is even a famous story from 1970 of an F-106 that “landed” itself after the pilot bailed out at 15000ft, being unable to recover from a flat spin during a training flight. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornfield_Bomber