Officials have announced that the wreckage of the F-35 is located in the rural Williamsburg area northeast of Charleston Air Force Base.
The unnamed pilot, who safely parachuted to North Charleston after ejecting, triggered the aircraft's automatic flight mode, and its transponder and stealth technology prevented radar tracking.
The U.S. military referred to the accident as a "mishap" without providing further details.
An investigation has been launched into the crash of the F-35, which costs approximately $80 million.
Another F-35 pilot safely returned to Charleston Air Force Base.
The two F-35 aircraft were part of a fleet located in Beaufort near the Atlantic Ocean coast.
Officials had appealed to the public for help in locating the missing aircraft through online posts yesterday on Charleston Air Force Base's social media platform, stating, "If you have any information that can help our rescue teams find the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center."
