Military aircraft crash reported in Beaufort, SC area

A military plane crashed five miles from Beaufort Marine Corps air base Friday before noon, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

According to Captain Bob Bromage, spokesman for the sheriff's office, the pilot of the plane was safely ejected, but his injuries were assessed. No other injuries have been reported.

The accident was reported near Clarendon Road and Joe Allen Drive in the Grays Hill area, the sheriff's office said in a press release.

Captain Christopher Harrison, a spokesman for the Marine Corps, said the plane that crashed was an F-35B with the Marine Training Squadron VMFAT-501.

The cause of the accident is being investigated, he said, and the jet was carrying no equipment, Harrison said.

Military officials confirmed that it was a Marine Corps plane that crashed, Bromage said.

According to the Air Station website, MCAS Beaufort has five F / A18 squadrons and one F-35B fleet replacement squadron. Last summer, Defense News reported that a persistent shortage of spare parts and software problems was causing MCAS a "headache".

Kensley Crosby, of Beaufort, lives on the Whale Branch River from Little Barnwell Island and has witnessed the consequences of the accident.

"I was inside and I had morning news when I heard an explosion," Crosby said. "At first I did not think about it, but then I looked up and saw the smoke."

Crosby said that she had seen a large stream of black smoke coming from the scene and heard three or four other big booms within 30 minutes of the first explosion.

"It was crazy, I literally looked out and there were boats and helicopters everywhere," she said. "It's such a small community, most people do not even know we're here, so it was a lot to do."

At 1 pm, approximately one hour after the accident, Mr. Crosby stated that smoke was still emitting from the accident site.

Richard Padgett, who lives on Joe Allen Drive, said smoke and flames were visible on what appeared to be Little Barnwell Island west of the air station and in front of a boat. Padgett said that there were a lot of water activities in the area and that a US Coast Guard helicopter was flying overhead.

The scene of the accident was secured from 2 pm, according to the sheriff's office. Residents and guests are advised to avoid Little Barnwell Island and Grays Hill Landing, while emergency services personnel assess the area for safety.

This is not the first military accident in Beaufort.

In 2007, Blue Angels pilot Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis was killed when the F-18 Hornet he was flying crashed in the Pine Grove Road area, according to previous reports from The Island Packet.

The accident occurred during the Beaufort Air Show. Davis, 32, was disoriented in the latest performance of the Blue Angels, according to earlier reports in the Packet.

According to investigators at the time, the plane, which was 425 mph, crashed into the trees. According to a lawsuit filed by the owners in 2010, the landing gear went through the roof of a house.