"I think it landed in my garden." This is what a South Carolina resident calmly explained to the US emergency call service 911, after a military pilot ejected from his F-35, according to an audio released on Friday.
The case dates back to Sunday. It both amused and shocked in the United States. On that day, a military base in South Carolina called on people to help find a missing F-35 fighter jet. The device is estimated at $80 million.
Its pilot had ejected and was doing well, she added, remaining silent on the "incident" that caused the hasty departure of the soldier. It turns out that the latter was able to speak on the phone with the emergency number 911 thanks to the resident in question, according to several minutes of the call, broadcast by the media in the United States.
"We have a pilot in the house"
The resident first tries to explain this curious situation to a perplexed operator:
"We have a pilot in the house. He says he ejected from the plane. And we just wanted to know if they could send us an ambulance please," the person said.
"Excuse me?" the operator reacts.
- "We have a pilot. In the house," the resident repeats. "I think it landed in my garden."
Then it is the pilot himself who speaks: "A military plane crashed. I am the pilot. We need to get the relief going," he said. "I don't know where the plane is. It may have crashed somewhere. I ejected. »
A breakdown
When the operator asks him what caused him to parachute, he says his plane had a "breakdown". He also explains that he feels good and just has back pain. "I just arrived on the ground by parachute. Could you send an ambulance please? " he repeats before asking her if she has been informed of a plane crash in the area. Not yet, she replies.
The debris of the F-35B Lightning II, flagship of American aeronautics, was finally found Monday in South Carolina, about 24 hours after its disappearance.
