Marines pause aviation operations for two days amid search near South Carolina lakes for fighter jet

All U.S. Marine Corps aviation units are pausing operations for two days after a fighter jet’s apparent crash over the weekend marked the third costly accident in recent weeks.

Gen. Eric Smith, the acting commandant of the Marine Corps, ordered the stand-down Monday while authorities searched near two South Carolina lakes for the missing FB-35B Lightning II aircraft.

The pilot, whose name hasn’t been released, parachuted to safety into a North Charleston neighborhood about 2 p.m. Sunday. He was taken to a hospital, where he was in stable condition, Marines…