Man From Viral F-35 Jet Interview Says Crash Could Have 'Injured or Killed' Him

Randolph White, who gained viral fame for describing the F-35 jet crash, has expressed concern about the incident, which happened near his South Carolina home. 

In an interview, White emphasized the potential threat to his life and called for a thorough investigation into the crash. Alongside his wife, he urged officials and the military to determine the cause and hold responsible parties accountable. 

The South Carolina resident Randolph White, who recently went viral for his description of the F-35 jet's crash, is concerned about the near-fatal incident in his South Carolina backyard. 

During a chat with TMZ, White emphasized the high risk to his life and called for a thorough investigation into what went wrong with the missing F-35 jet. 

Randolph said, "That was a near miss for me because that plane shook my house, and it was very close. And it could have injured or killed me or other people in the nearby surrounding area."

Alongside his wife, Carrie, he urged officials and the military to determine the cause and hold responsible parties accountable for the potentially catastrophic event. 

In the short interview, Randolph also discussed his newfound celebrity status following his viral video. He noted, "I'm not used to being a celebrity, but I'll accept it."

On September 17, White had a rare experience when an unmanned fighter jet crashed near his home.

Unaware of the crash at the time, the 72-year-old retiree recalled he was in his bathroom, shaving, when he heard a screeching and whistling sound. "What in the world is this? And I heard a boom! Then my whole house shook," he recalled. "The first thought that came to me… I said well, did a meteorite come from outer space or something?" 

He continued, "And I said, well if it was an airplane it needs to be reported because that thing was flying just too low. I didn't give it any other thought. I knew it was low because my house is pretty solid, and it shook."

As authorities searched for the missing F-35 military jet that had crashed, White said he saw helicopters flying around. Curious, he went to the scene, where he learned that the booming sound he heard was related to the crashed plane.

White was thankful no one was injured, stating, "Just through the grace of God, nobody didn't get hurt. Because there's a church right up there, about a half mile."

On the same day as the F-35 jet crash, the military pilot who safely ejected made a 911 call from a South Carolina home where he landed, as revealed in an audio recording released to The Associated Press.

In the four-minute recording, the resident reported, "We got a pilot in the house, and I guess he landed in my backyard, and we're trying to see if we could get an ambulance to the house, please."

The 47-year-old pilot, who was later identified by the Marines as an experienced aviator with decades of cockpit experience, reported that he was feeling "OK" despite falling approximately 2,000 feet, with his only complaint being back pain. 

"Ma'am, a military jet crashed. I'm the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling," the pilot urgently explained. "I'm not sure where the airplane is. It would have crash-landed somewhere. I ejected."

Later in the call, he reiterated his need for medical assistance. "Ma'am, I'm a pilot in a military aircraft, and I ejected. So I just rode a parachute down to the ground. Can you please send an ambulance?" the pilot requested at the time.

According to CBS news, in a separate eight-minute dispatch call made available to the AP on September 21, an unidentified official described the situation involving "a pilot with his parachute." The official explained that the pilot lost sight of the plane during descent due to poor weather conditions.

This official recalled hearing a loud noise about 25 minutes earlier, resembling something like a "tornado or possibly a plane."

The Marine Corps also suggested that a feature on fighter jets designed to protect pilots in emergencies might explain why the F-35 continued to fly. 

They explained in a statement, "If the jet is stable in level flight, the jet will attempt to stay there. If it was in an established climb or descent, the jet will maintain a 1G state in that climb or descent until commanded to do something else. This is designed to save our pilots if they are incapacitated or lose situational awareness."