I am going to speculate and say the investigation will revolve around the ejector seat . The B variant is the only model with an " auto " ejection seat vs a manual . The reason is when taking off and landing vertically.

If the systems determine a fatal error is occurring then poof the seat ejects the pilot . It's being reported the aircraft was at 1000 feet . Obviously something happened for the ejection to take place . Pilot error ? System error ? Faulty components ?

I am not familiar enough with the system to know if there is a manual over ride . My guess is yes but just a guess . I am sure the pilot will clarify what he experienced and felt before the ejection .

Common sense tells me if the aircraft flew another 50-60 miles after ejection that it didn't have a catastrophic failure . Very easy to Monday morning QB without data .

This sounds like a great guess!
I Had no idea they had switched to auto , or at least auto could take over.
That WOULD BE One heck of a jolt not knowing It is happening.!

this would explain a lot

I wonder if the AF covers the cost of a new pair of drawers? :)

That would be a couple of disorientating moments!

Pilot was a Marine. He just turns the inside out and keeps going.

The auto eject is only on the B variant to my knowledge . The Marines requested that . The theory is when taking off or landing vertically the pilot has his hands full . If something happens at low altitude he may not have time to react . To my knowledge this is the first incident where it went off during a real flight . Again just a guess on my part .

AND MARINES WILL Advance to the rear......
Agh argh argh

Saw this and thought I post it here. Don't know if there is anything new in the article but is a good read.

https://news.yahoo.com/questions-mount-u-fighter-jet-020750519.html

Why did the jet lose communication?

F-35s are equipped with transponders that allow the aircraft to be tracked. But military officials initially said the transponder did not appear to be working but were unsure why.

J.J. Gertler, a senior analyst at Teal Group, a defense consulting firm, said the rocket motors in the pilot's ejection seat could have been so powerful, they "cooked the electronics, the wires, cut off power to the transponder, among other things" in the cockpit.

He said the transponder may not have been turned on in the first place because it was flying with a lead F-35, which would have had its transponder on. The second jet's would be off to prevent extra noise from interfering with the approach controller.

"That's just normal procedure," Berke said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/questions-mount-us-fighter-jet-went-missing-rcna105876


It will be interesting to see what the black box says. My understanding is it should have one.

""The F-35B has an auto-eject function," he said. "I'm curious to know if it ejected him involuntarily.""
Did AI take over and kick the biological organism out of the aircraft?

Interesting story of the "Cornfield Bomber"...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornfield_Bomber

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1695252118.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1695252468.jpg

That's what happens when the extraterrestrials go woke. Pathetic, isn't it? Not like the aliens of MY generation.

No wonder we can’t find it, everybody’s looking for a cargo type plane. 😂

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1695256665.jpg

Good discussion.
I’m happy to wait for the investigation.

We should all hope it will be well understood and that the F-35 in all its variants (A, B, C, international sales) continues to maintain itself as the world’s premier front line fighter. At least if we want to enjoy the best possible level of freedom. To bet against it is expecting it is not superior to Russia’s and China’s counterparts.

Shucks! A Marine in an F-35B with vertical landing capability. You would think they could just land for a lot of issues (as long as the Prius engine in those things worked). Maybe it was aliens.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1130222-pepsi-netflix-series-5-stars.html

As for me- I am not going to think these top-of-the-line jets rely just on a transponder....
That's very old school to start with.
I will guess they are hooked up to some sort of Satellite stuff.
Seems like a no-brainer.