- A Marine flying a F-35 Lightning II ejected on Sunday only 1,000ft above ground
- The F-35 kept flying for around 60 miles before crashing in a South Carolina field
- Questions are now being asked as to why the training exercise was carried out
- The plane is at risk during thunderstorms and there was bad weather at take off
A F-35 jet could have crashed on Sunday due to poor weather in South Carolina, new audio suggests - as questions mount as to why the disastrous training exercise was allowed to proceed.
The F-35B Lightning II which the unnamed Marine pilot was flying is believed to be at risk of malfunctions if it flies in thunderstorms, according to
a Forbes investigation in November.
Its sister jet, the F-35A, is more severely affected and cannot fly within 25 miles of lightning.
The issue lies within the F-35's OBIGGS (Onboard Inert Gas Generation) system, which pumps nitrogen-enriched air into its fuel tanks to inert them, preventing the aircraft from exploding if it is struck by lightning.
'F-35B and C variants have some of the same OBIGGS issues as the F-35A, but have been able to alleviate operational impacts,' said Chief Petty Officer Matthew Olay, spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office, in an email to Forbes last year.
