The F-35 was billed as a fighter jet that could do almost everything the U.S. military desired, serving the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy – and even Britain's Royal Air Force and Royal Navy – all in one aircraft design. “The US Marine pilot ejected safely,” the statement said, adding that there were no civilian injuries and both the health of the pilot and the cause of the crash were being evaluated. A U.S. military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was underway, said the Marine Corps initially classified the crash as a Class A mishap, which is defined as an incident resulting in the complete destruction of the plane, more than $2 million in damage or the fatality or permanent total disability of the crew. The plane that crashed was an F-35, making this the first crash of the U.S. military's newest and most expensive aircraft, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
A USMC F-35 jet crashes in coastal South Carolina making this the first crash of the U.S. military's newest and most expensively developed aircraft.