Most military aircraft contain non-deployable crash hardened data recorders and often require a recovery team and significant time to locate and extract from wreckage. The F/A-18 platform is unique in that it is equipped with a Deployable Flight Incident Recorder Set (DFIRS). These recorders are engineered with varying levels of crash survivability, with some models specifically designed to deploy during ejection such as the F/A-18. Flight recorders a commonly known as “black boxes.”

Since their introduction with the F/A-18 platform, DFIRS have only been recovered by civilians on two occasions. The first was in 2011, when a surfer in Hawaii discovered the DFIRS from an F/A-18F Super Hornet more than 4,000 miles away from where it had gone down six years earlier.

The second occurred more recently when Mr. Mark Maskell, a professional DJ traveling for work in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, found the DFIRS from an F/A-18E Super Hornet after a mishap off the coast of Virginia in August of 2025.

The pilot safely ejected and was rescued, but the aircraft’s flight recorder was lost at sea. The DFIRS is normally recovered using military assets within 72 hours of a mishap. According to Mr. Robert “Louie” Stephenson, deputy director of Mishap Investigations at Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) and investigator for the downed aircraft, DFIRS locating efforts were halted due to potential severe weather.

The night before the wedding, Maskell decided to take a walk along the beach. He noted that he takes walks like this on a semi-regular basis. He said, “I love going for walks on really empty, desolate beaches.” After several miles, twilight had set in, and he began to make his way back. In the darkness and using his cell phone flashlight for guidance, he saw a glimmer reflecting from an object partially embedded near the top of a five-foot-tall sand dune. It was bright orange, about the size of a pizza box, and it carried a clear message, “… please return to the nearest U.S. government agency to collect reward,” Maskell recalled.

Maskell, self-described “aviation geek” and subscriber to a commercial aviation incidents publication, said he had a feeling he had found a flight recorder. Recognizing its potential significance, he retrieved the device and contacted the number listed on the black box to report his findings.

After what he described as “raging for 24 hours” in his role as DJ, Maskell received a call from Stephenson. “I tried to pretend not to be completely asleep, when [Stephenson] called saying, [‘You’ve found something very important to the U.S. Navy, and we are happy you called. You found a flight data recorder, and we are very interested in collecting it for our investigation’],” he recalled. Stephenson then drove from Norfolk to the Outer Banks and retrieved the device.

Flight data recorders capture critical information for mishap investigations, including communications, aircraft performance data, error codes, pilot inputs, and more. The purpose behind collecting this data is not to assign blame, but to enable accurate event re-creation. This information is then used to strengthen prevention efforts and develop mitigation steps to prevent reoccurrence.

Maskell later received a call to arrange the transfer of a reward of $500, but he views the reward as secondary. He expressed that he was simply glad to have played a part of something tied so closely to his personal interest in aviation and described the experience as serendipitous.

The returned flight recorder will aid NAVSAFECOM in advancing mishap prevention efforts, thereby strengthening warfighting readiness and capabilities. As this story shows, sometimes even a simple walk on the beach can contribute to saving lives.