Marine Corps officials ordered a two-day stand-down of all aircraft inside and outside the U.S. on Monday after an F-35 jet disappeared in South Carolina.
The remains of the jet were discovered roughly two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston on Monday evening, according to reports.
Hours before the debris was found, the Pentagon said in a statement that the stand-down would allow units “to discuss aviation safety matters and best practices.”
The pause will give leaders time “to ensure the service is maintaining operational standardization of combat-ready aircraft with well-prepared pilots and crews.”
“During the safety stand down, aviation commanders will lead discussions with their Marines focusing on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness,” the statement said.
The F-35B Lightning II jet, which is worth about $80 million, went missing on Sunday, when a pilot safely ejected from the aircraft. The pilot was in stable condition on Monday.
It was not immediately clear why the pilot ejected from the jet, nor was it clear why the Marines had been unable to track the aircraft.
“The mishap is currently under investigation, and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” the Marines said in a statement.
The Pentagon statement announcing the stand down also cited two deadly crashes that happened last month, one in which an F-18 pilot died during a training flight near San Diego, and a second in which three Marines died and others were wounded when an MV-22B Osprey crashed off the coast of Australia.