The U.S. Navy said Monday that two aircraft — an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter — operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within a 30-minute span, marking the latest in a string of recent aviation mishaps involving U.S. naval forces.
According to the Navy’s Pacific Fleet, all five crew members aboard both aircraft survived. The two aviators aboard the Super Hornet ejected safely, while the three crew members on the Sea Hawk were recovered from the water shortly after the crash. All are reported to be in stable condition.
The twin incidents occurred Sunday afternoon during routine operations, the fleet said in a statement. The cause of the crashes remains under investigation.
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, said preliminary information suggests the crashes may have been caused by “bad fuel.” He ruled out any indication of sabotage or enemy involvement, saying, “There’s nothing to hide — this looks like a technical issue.”
The Nimitz is currently returning to its home port at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after a months-long deployment to the Middle East. The carrier had been supporting U.S. operations in response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on international shipping lanes. The deployment was expected to be the Nimitz’s final one before its scheduled decommissioning.
The incidents add to a troubling pattern of aviation accidents among U.S. carriers in recent months. The USS Harry S. Truman, another U.S. aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, has experienced several mishaps this year — including a December incident in which the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down a jet from the Truman.
In April, an F/A-18 slipped off the Truman’s hangar deck into the Red Sea, and in May, another fighter jet overshot the carrier’s landing cables and went overboard, forcing its two pilots to eject. None of those incidents resulted in fatalities, and investigations into them remain ongoing.
The Navy has not indicated whether the crashes from the Nimitz are related to mechanical issues affecting other carriers or their aircraft.
Credit: AP
