Marine Corps Blames Pilot Error for Crash of Malfunctioning F-35 in South Carolina Forest

An F-35B Lightning II fighter jet that crashed in South Carolina last year had an electrical malfunction, and the pilot became disoriented before ejecting amid a heavy rainstorm, sending the jet on a more-than-11-minute unmanned flight before it crashed some 60 miles away, according to a Marine Corps investigation released Thursday afternoon.

The name of the pilot was redacted from the investigation, but Military.com can report it was Col. Charles "Tre" Del Pizzo, a Marine officer with 27 years of active service who -- in a largely inexplicable move by the Corps -- took command of a high-profile unit nearly a year after the incident, only to be relieved three months into his tenure by order of the service's top official.

On Sept. 17 last year, Del Pizzo embarked on a training flight out of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. According to the investigation, Del Pizzo's helmet displays went out three times and caused a bevy of cautions and advisories in the cockpit as he prepared for a landing that afternoon but missed his approach.

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As Del Pizzo was considering his options nearly 2,000 feet in the sky and attempting to prepare the jet by converting it for landing, according to the investigation, he lost communication with both an aircraft control tower and his wingman after both his primary radios failed.

According to a statement from the unit Thursday, his transponder, navigation system and instrument landing system also failed. Del Pizzo experienced what aviation experts refer to as spatial disorientation.

"With no visible reference to the horizon or ground, and unsure of which flight instruments he could trust, he perceived that the aircraft was still not responding to his commands to convert -- and therefore was out-of-controlled flight," the investigation said. Del Pizzo then ejected, the event having appeared to occur in only minutes.

Challenge of Spatial Disorientation

The investigation concluded that the mishap was a result of "pilot error" in that Del Pizzo incorrectly diagnosed the out-of-control flight emergency and "ejected from a flyable aircraft -- albeit under extremely challenging cognitive and flight conditions."

The wreckage of the aircraft -- F-35s are worth approximately $100 million each -- was not found until the next evening after military and local authorities scoured the coastal region of the state for the airplane. Officials said the electrical malfunction was not related to any maintenance, which had been conducted to standard.

"As I understand it, the commandant recently reviewed the command investigation surrounding the September 2023 F-35B mishap in which I was the pilot," Del Pizzo said in part of an emailed statement to Military.com. "The investigation found no dereliction of duty and that the flight was conducted in accordance with all orders, directives and [standard operating procedures]."

The investigation noted that no punitive actions were recommended.

Spatial disorientation occurs when a pilot can't make sense of their position while in motion, often finding it hard to balance their own internal sense of direction and orientation with what they're seeing outside the cockpit or on their instruments.

John Nance, an aviation expert and former pilot who was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve, told Military.com that spatial disorientation is a frightening anomaly that any aviator can experience.

That experience can also be compounded by bad weather or poor visibility, like a pilot being unable to see a horizon or what directions buildings or terrain are facing as a way to try and get back on track.

"All you can do is go to your instruments, try desperately to make your mind believe what the instruments are telling you versus what your physiology is telling you, and go from there," Nance told Military.com in an interview Wednesday. "Can spatial disorientation on top of a very difficult flight be a factor, and certainly a factor, in making the wrong decision? Absolutely."

Retired Col. J.F. Joseph, a Marine Corps pilot who is now an aviation consultant and expert witness, told Military.com in an interview Wednesday that a pilot needs to try their best to stay calm while experiencing spatial disorientation, and that it's hard to criticize an aviator's skill because they went through such an episode.

"I think most pilots have experienced it at one time or another," Joseph said. "Just because somebody experiences spatial disorientation doesn't mean they're a bad pilot or anything else."

Command Given, Command Taken Away

Nearly a year after the incident, Del Pizzo took command of Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One, also known as VMX-1, out of Yuma, Arizona, on June 21.

Jessica Del Pizzo, the pilot's wife, told Military.com that her husband received reassurance from Marine Corps leaders that the mishap and its subsequent investigation would not hinder his ability to take command.

Del Pizzo has six deployments under his belt, more than 3,000 flight hours, and served in two high-profile positions in Virginia: as the F-35 Joint Program Office deputy and the Tactical Air, or TACAIR, branch head before going to Yuma, according to his official biography.

They forged on, Jessica said, "happy and very hopeful" to move their family across the country and begin a new chapter months after she feared the worst amid news of the F-35 crash that rocked national headlines and put her husband in danger last year.

"I think getting the call that I got last September is an aviator spouse's worst nightmare," she said, noting that her husband had two fractures in his back after the ejection and they weren't sure whether he would fly again. "First and foremost, I was just happy that he was with us and he was OK. Nothing else mattered in that moment."

After Del Pizzo took command, Commandant Gen. Eric Smith visited VMX-1 in late July. But nearly nine months after the investigation into the mishap was completed and just a short time after the veteran aviator took charge of the squadron, Smith decided to relieve Del Pizzo.

"I'm told that after his review of the investigation, the commandant decided it was in the best interest of the institution that I be removed from command of VMX-1. As a commander, you serve at the pleasure of the commandant," Del Pizzo's statement continued. "It was an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to lead the Marines, sailors and civilians of VMX-1."

Military.com sent a list of detailed questions to the Marine Corps on Wednesday. The publication asked why Del Pizzo was allowed to take command of VMX-1 given the findings of the investigation into the South Carolina mishap had been known since January, months before he and his family uprooted to move to Arizona for the command position.

Of that decision and its effects on her family, Jessica Del Pizzo said, "That is something that I've been struggling with since the news. I am extremely disappointed and, to be frank, disgusted in how this was handled with respect to the family.

"Had the news been given before we left [Virginia], we would have said, 'OK, understood, sad obviously, but we get that that's the commandant's decision and we won't go to Yuma and he won't assume command,'" she said. "But to have the news after such a personally hectic and crazy summer" -- and only a short time in command -- "is extremely frustrating and disappointing."

Military.com also asked why Del Pizzo was relieved about 100 days into the leadership role, if he was given assurances that the mishap and its investigation would not affect his command prospects and if his relief resulted in any instability for the squadron, given his short time as its leader.

"The commandant of the Marine Corps continually assess[es] matters associated with commanders and their units," Lt. Col. Joshua Benson, the service's head spokesperson, told Military.com in response to the questions Thursday. "Following his detailed review last month of the command investigation into the 17 September 2023 F-35 mishap, he made the decision to relieve the commanding officer of Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, due to the unique mission of VMX-1."

A subsequent Field Flight Performance Board, essentially an aviation performance review, found that his decision to eject "was justified," Del Pizzo said in his statement. He returned to full flight status in June -- the same month he took command of the squadron -- after complying with the board's recommendations, according to the pilot.

"I have been offered follow-on orders of my choice, and our family is currently considering all options," he said. "We are deeply thankful for the support of our friends and family as we adjust to this unexpected change in assignment."

'Has There Been a Report of an Airplane Crash?'

The Sept. 17 crash happened when Del Pizzo ejected from the F-35B Lightning II after experiencing malfunctions and disorientation. He landed in the backyard of a residence in North Charleston, South Carolina, and local police were called around 1:40 p.m. local time, according to an incident report and 911 call obtained by Military.com.

The resident of the home said on the call, "We got a pilot in our house, and he says he got ejected, or he ejected from the plane, so can we just see if we can get an ambulance please?"

In the process of chatting with dispatch, Del Pizzo took the phone to speak to the authorities directly.

"I'm the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling," Del Pizzo said. "I'm not sure where the airplane is. It would have crash-landed somewhere. I ejected."

Del Pizzo told dispatch he "was at 2,000 feet" when he fell and added that "an aircraft failure" led to his ejection. He then asks the dispatch, "Has there been a report of an airplane crash?"

The wreckage of the aircraft was ultimately found about 60 miles northeast of the residential backyard Del Pizzo landed in, near a wooded area in Williamsburg County, South Carolina.

Military and local authorities conducted a daylong search for the aircraft, but had struggles locating the F-35B due to the electrical issues it encountered.

"The loss of positive radar contact with the mishap aircraft resulted from a failed transponder caused by the electrical malfunction and the aircraft's eventual descent below the air-traffic control radar horizon," the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing said in a news release Thursday. "The loss of positive contact could also be partially attributed to the F35B's low-observable technology."

Cleanup and recovery from the F-35 B crash lasted nearly a month, Military.com previously reported.

Weather on the day of the crash near North Charleston was bleak, according to the investigation as well as online weather records, with cloudy conditions and heavy rain reported. The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing statement said the unit conceded that weather was a factor in the crash.

"[The pilot's] decision to eject was ultimately inappropriate, because commanded flight inputs were in-progress at the time of ejection, standby flight instrumentation was providing accurate data, and the [aircraft's] backup radio was, at least partially, functional," the investigation said. "Furthermore, the aircraft continued to fly for an extended period after ejection."

Notably, there had been yearslong concerns with the Air Force's F-35A flying near lightning, but that concern did not extend to the Marine Corps' F-35B model.

Del Pizzo's incident was a little less than a year removed from a December 2022 incident in which an F-35B crashed on the runway of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas during a vertical landing attempt. That pilot, an Air Force officer doing tests on behalf of the Defense Contract Management Agency, received minor injuries.

That crash caused F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office officials to ground some aircraft and pause deliveries for several months, and also led them to discover a "rare system phenomenon" in F-35 engines.

Most recently, an F-35B crashed in May shortly after taking off from a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The pilot in that crash was seriously injured, Military.com reported.

Editor's note: This story was updated with new information from the Marine Corps on the attribution of a quote describing investigation findings.

Related: After Daylong Search, Likely F-35 Debris Found After Jet Went Missing in South Carolina