The missing F-35 stealth plane that is presumed to have crashed in South Carolina over the weekend was seen “almost inverted” while flying about 100 feet above the treetops just before the disaster, according to a witness.
Adrian and Stephen Truluck were celebrating their son’s seventh birthday at their home in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, on Sunday when they saw a plane flying low, before hearing a “boom” sound.
“Our kids always do a little wave, so we said, ‘Look at the plane. Oh my God, it’s so low,’” Adrian told NBC News. “And it was probably 100 feet above the treetops, and almost backwards.”
“It was probably three-quarters of the way there,” her husband Stephen added, noting that they could “see the canopy” of the plane.
Shortly after witnessing the plane, they recalled hearing an “explosion sound,” which they said at the time they attributed to a storm.
A South Carolina couple says they saw a plane flying low and then heard a bang a day before a debris field was discovered. AFP via Getty Images
The couple said they didn’t think much about the low-flying plane, since Shaw Air Force Base is about 60 miles from their home.
Only the next day, when they learned that a debris field had been discovered a few kilometers from their home, did they realize that they had seen the missing plane, probably moments before it crashed.
“We thought there was thunder in the distance and we didn’t think about it anymore until we saw the plane was gone,” Adrian said, “and we thought, ‘That had to be the plane.’”
Officials located a debris field not far from where the couple saw the plane. AP
Capt. Joe Leitner, a spokesman for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, declined to comment to NBC about the Trulucks’ account in order to “preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” which is ongoing.
On Sunday afternoon, Joint Base Charleston, about 80 miles south of Williamsburg County, asked the public for help finding a missing F-35B Lightning II aircraft.
A debris field was discovered the next day about two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston, according to a news release from the military base, which urged people to avoid the area.
Authorities have not yet given a cause for the accident.AP
The base could not officially confirm that the debris came from the plane that disappeared Monday night.
“The mishap is currently under investigation and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigation process,” Joint Base Charleston said Monday night.
The $90 million plane, which manufacturer Lockheed Martin touts as “the world’s deadliest, stealthiest and most survivable aircraft,” disappeared after its pilot left the plane on autopilot before parachuting and landing in the backyard of a house on Sunday afternoon.
The F-35 stealth plane disappeared after the pilot ejected due to a “mishap.” AFP via Getty Images
Authorities had not given an official cause of the accident as of Wednesday.
The pilot, who has not been identified, was located in a residential area of North Charleston on Sunday afternoon and taken to a local hospital for treatment.
After the ejection, the pilot claimed to have missed the plane due to bad weather. He has since been released from the hospital.
It is understood he left the plane on autopilot when it ejected, sparking a desperate and embarrassing search that included the military asking locals for help to find the plane.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn