Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that kept flying

A pilot who ejected from a malfunctioning F-35B in heavy rain over South Carolina last year — which kept flying on autopilot for 64 nautical miles before crashing — alleges he was fired from his command of a prestigious squadron as a result of the mishap.

Col. Charles “Tre” Del Pizzo, 49, confirmed to Defense News he was the pilot who ejected from the F-35B over Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 17, 2023, and parachuted into a resident’s backyard. And in a written statement to Defense News, Del Pizzo said Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith ordered him to be fired from command of Marine Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 after reviewing the report on the crash investigation.

The investigation report, which the Marine Corps released Thursday, found Del Pizzo’s F-35B malfunctioned and its primary displays and communications cut out as Del Pizzo was attempting to land through rain at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. However, the report said its standby flight display and backup communication system “remained basically functional.”

Despite the investigation finding Del Pizzo followed the proper procedures and was not derelict in his duties, investigators concluded Del Pizzo could have continued flying the jet and his decision to eject was a mistake.

The investigation concluded that the mishap resulted from pilot error, and said Del Pizzo “incorrectly diagnosed an [out-of-controlled flight] emergency and ejected from a flyable aircraft — albeit under extremely challenging cognitive and flight conditions,” the report said.

The report said Del Pizzo followed the F-35B manual’s recommendations for ejecting from an out-of-control jet but also criticized the manual’s definition of out-of-control as too broad.

Investigators cleared Del Pizzo and all others involved of dereliction of duty. Del Pizzo was qualified and prepared for the flight, the report said, and carried it out by the book. The electrical malfunction was also not caused by lax maintenance, the report said.

Del Pizzo assumed command of the Yuma, Arizona-based squadron, also known as VMX-1, on June 21 — months after the report was completed in January.

On Oct. 2, a little more than three months later, Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, deputy commandant for aviation, relieved Del Pizzo of command of VMX-1 “for loss of trust and confidence in his ability to execute the responsibilities of his command,” the Marine Corps said. Col. John Dirk took over the squadron that same day, the Marine Corps said.

“As a commander you serve at the pleasure of the commandant,” Del Pizzo said. “It was an absolute privilege to have the opportunity to lead the Marines, sailors and civilians of VMX-1.”

The Marine Corps did not immediately issue a response to Del Pizzo’s statement about the commandant.

VMX-1 is in charge of assessing the Corps’ aircraft and helping develop and refine tactics, techniques and procedures to fly them in combat successfully. The squadron’s aircraft include the F-35B, MV-22 Osprey and CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter. It is a highly desired leadership role in Marine Corps aviation, and some former VMX-1 commanders have gone on to become general officers and assume senior leadership roles in the Corps.

Del Pizzo pointed to the mishap investigation’s conclusion that he conducted the flight using the proper procedures and was not derelict in his duty. He also said a Field Flight Performance Board was convened to review the incident and concluded his decision to eject was justified.

Del Pizzo said he was restored to full flight status in June “after complying with all board recommendations.”

But Del Pizzo’s split-second decision to eject from the F-35 has now cast a shadow over his accomplished career, and left his future uncertain.

Del Pizzo said he has been offered his choice of follow-on assignments, and he and his family are now considering his next steps.

“We are deeply thankful for the support of our friends and family as we adjust to this unexpected change in assignment,” he said.

From Parris Island, to fighting ISIS, to VMX-1

Del Pizzo started as an enlisted Marine, graduating from boot camp at Parris Island in 1993 and serving in the reserves for 3 1/2 years while attending college. He earned his commission as an officer in 1997 after graduating from Auburn University and attending the Platoon Leaders Course program and in 1999 became a naval aviator.

Over the next 25 years, Del Pizzo became an experienced combat pilot with more than 2,800 hours in the cockpit, 32 hours of which were in the F-35B. He has deployed six times over his career, including deployments to support the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State.

His career included a stint commanding Marine Attack Squadron 231, also known as VMA-231 or the “Ace of Spades,” from 2015 to 2017. During that time, Del Pizzo took VMA-231′s AV-8B Harrier attack jets into battle against ISIS as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, including the effort to oust ISIS from the key Iraqi city of Mosul.

Del Pizzo also served as the Marine Corps service deputy at the F-35 Joint Program Office and the tactical air branch head at Marine Corps Aviation.

In August 2022, the Marine Corps announced Del Pizzo had been selected for his most prestigious assignment yet: command of VMX-1.

On Sept. 17, 2023, Del Pizzo climbed into the cockpit of an F-35B from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 to practice basic fighter maneuvering, alongside a wingman.

His flight, dubbed “Swede 11,” took off at about 12:45 p.m. and carried out an “uneventful” training flight through heavy rain and mist, the report said. At about 1:25 p.m., the report said, Del Pizzo turned back toward the Charleston base.

Air traffic control appeared to be trying to direct Del Pizzo and his wingman around the heaviest weather, the report said. Del Pizzo began using his jet’s instruments to guide his landing through the rain and lowered his landing gear.

While lining up his final approach, Del Pizzo decided to switch to the F-35B’s short-take off and vertical landing, or STOVL, mode and carry out a slow landing. He radioed that instruction to his wingman — but that was the last radio call the wingman heard from him.

Shortly after converting to STOVL mode, Del Pizzo’s helmet-mounted display started flickering out and back in, the report said. Del Pizzo told investigators that each time his helmet-mounted display went out, his panoramic cockpit display was also not working.

He decided to carry out a missed approach procedure and began to climb out and accelerate, the report said, but then realized he had also lost communication with the tower and his wingman.

Del Pizzo’s helmet-mounted display came back online, he told investigators, but multiple warning signs flashed and blared. He felt like the jet was not converting back to conventional flight as intended, the report said, and the helmet display again blinked out.

Del Pizzo had at that point lost his helmet display and panoramic display three times, the report said, and he wasn’t sure what instruments he could trust. He felt the aircraft was out of control, and decided to eject at an altitude of about 1,900 feet at 1:32 p.m.

The report notes that the F-35B’s flight manual says that an aircraft is considered out of control if it is not responding properly to the pilot’s inputs, and a pilot should eject from such an aircraft if it is below 6,000 feet.

The report said that given the manual’s definition of an out-of-control flight, Del Pizzo “applied an appropriate emergency procedure in response to a perceived loss of aircraft control below 6,000 feet.”

But the report immediately criticized the manual’s definition.

“The F-35B flight manual definition for [out-of-control flight] is too broad and contributed to this mishap,” the report said.

Del Pizzo’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 [jet’s] backup radio was, at least partially, functional. Furthermore, the aircraft continued to fly for an extended period after ejection.”

‘I just rode a parachute down to the ground’

Del Pizzo’s helmet and mask were “ripped off” as he ejected, the report said. As he descended through the clouds, he realized he was over a residential area and became concerned about nearby power lines. He released his seat pan and raft to avoid getting tangled in the lines and steered into a safe area.

Del Pizzo had parachuted into a North Charleston resident’s backyard, told the homeowner he was a military pilot and asked the resident to call 911.

In audio of the call, obtained by The Associated Press, the homeowner explains that an ejected pilot parachuted into his backyard, and the 911 dispatcher responds, “I’m sorry, what happened?”

Del Pizzo can be heard in the background, reporting some minor pain in his back, before taking the phone and repeatedly requesting an ambulance. The homeowner said he had no apparent bleeding aside from a few scratches.

“We had a military jet crash. I’m the pilot,” Del Pizzo told the dispatcher. “We need to get a rescue rolling. I’m not sure where the airplane is. It would have crash landed somewhere. I ejected.”

Del Pizzo told the dispatcher he was 2,000 feet in the air when he ejected, and that “an aircraft failure” had occurred. Apparently believing the dispatcher had not yet sent an ambulance, Del Pizzo sighed and his voice took on a sharper tone.

“Ma’am, I’m a pilot in a military aircraft, and I ejected,” he said. “So I just rode a parachute down to the ground. Can you please send an ambulance?”

Del Pizzo was taken to a nearby hospital, treated and released the next morning. But the F-35 was missing, and its location would remain a mystery for more than a day.

The military, law enforcement, Civil Air Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration focused the search in the area north of Charleston. Joint Base Charleston even asked the public for tips on possible locations for the jet.

Headlines about the military’s missing stealth fighter rapidly spread around the world — as did jokes, breathless speculation and memes on social media.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., whose district includes the area north of Charleston, posted her exasperation online that night, hours after the plane went missing.

“How in the hell do you lose an F-35?” Mace posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”

The investigation report said the F-35′s transponder failed as a result of the electrical malfunction, and the jet had crossed below air traffic control’s radar horizon.

The military announced the evening of Sept. 18, 2023, a day after the crash, that the crash site of the F-35 had been found in rural Williamsburg County, about two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston. The jet had flown for 11 minutes and 21 seconds after Del Pizzo’s ejection, slowly climbing as high as 9,300 feet.

After about 11 minutes, the report said, the jet banked down and started descending to its right, clipping the treetops of a forest along the way before crashing. The report said no one was injured by the crash, but it did damage several trees and crops. The $100 million jet was shredded into pieces and a total loss.

The incident — and the attention it drew — rang alarm bells throughout Marine Corps aviation. It was the Marines’ third aviation crash in six weeks, following the August crash of an F/A-18D Hornet in southern California, which killed its pilot, and an MV-22 Osprey crash in Australia that killed three Marines.

As the search for the jet continued, the Marine Corps put all its aviation operations on hold for a two-day safety stand down. The announcement cited the three recent Class A mishaps, and said aviation commanders would hold discussions with their Marines on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures and how to maintain combat readiness.