Faulty Transponder Blamed for F-35 Fighter Jet Still Missing After Pilot Ejected

Amilitary base in South Carolina has resorted to asking the public for help locating a missing F-35 stealth jet because the plane's transponder wasn't working.

A pilot was forced to eject from the F-35 somewhere over South Carolina on Sunday afternoon, at which point the plane remained flying on autopilot for an undetermined period of time. The transponder failed "for some reason that we haven't yet determined," a spokesperson told the Washington Post. "So that's why we put out the public request for help."

As of Monday morning, the base is still searching for the missing plane, an F-35B Lighting II with short takeoff and vertical landing abilities worth an estimated $80 million.

Radio chatter revealed the pilot ejected from the jet just a few thousand feet above the ground and ended up in someone's backyard in the middle of a residential neighborhood, aviation news site AviationGeekery.com reported.