SRINAGAR: A US Navy fighter jet and a helicopter operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within half an hour of each other on Sunday afternoon, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet confirmed, according to CNN.
The three crew members aboard the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued, while the two aviators piloting the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet ejected safely. The fleet stated that all five personnel are safe and in stable condition.
Investigations have been launched to determine the causes of both crashes, the Pacific Fleet added.
The USS Nimitz was en route to its home port at Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, following a summer deployment in the Middle East, where it had supported the US response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial vessels. The carrier is on its final mission before decommissioning.
The incident follows a string of mishaps involving the USS Harry S Truman in recent months. In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down a fighter jet from the Truman. In April, another F/A-18 jet slid off the Truman’s hangar deck into the Red Sea, while in May, an F/A jet overshot the deck during landing, plunging into the sea after its arresting cable failed.
No fatalities were reported in any of these incidents, and investigations into those accidents remain ongoing.
