On Saturday, September 17, the US military reported the F-35 fighter jet worth $90 million as missing after the pilot ejected himself during a mishap. Joint Base Charleston and Marine Corps Air Station posted on Facebook stating the pilot ejected safely and was found by a stunned Charleston resident, but asked the citizens to help locate the jet. The plane’s tracking was not working, “for some reason that we haven’t yet determined,” explained Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston. “The aircraft is stealth, so it has different coatings and different designs that make it more difficult than a normal aircraft to detect,” he said. Officials even said the plane might have been on autopilot and still could be in the air for up to 1000 miles after the pilot ejected.

However, on Monday, they informed the public they found debris roughly two hours northeast of the base.“Members of the community should avoid the area as the recovery team secures the debris field,” warned government officials. Even though they found the aircraft, the public still has multiple questions. The biggest mystery is why exactly the pilot needs to eject himself. Military officials couldn’t immediately explain why the pilot parachuted, but experts say such a decision would not be made spontaneously. “Ejection is a last ditch decision,” explained David Berke, who was a commanding officer in the first F-35 squadron from 2012 to 2014.

The question still remains though; how did they lose a jet worth $90 dollars? Although officials most likely won’t further answer any questions, people have conspiracy theories. Some were weather problems or it kept flying to Cuba with Chinese assistance, but nobody was 100% sure what happened. Although multiple mysteries remain, we’re thankful the pilot and people on the ground aren’t injured, and the plane has been found.