Navy investigates near-simultaneous crashes of F/A-18F fighter jet and MH-60R helicopter; all five crew members rescued.
SOUTH CHINA SEA: The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet confirmed that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz lost two aircraft—a fighter jet and a helicopter—within 30 minutes of each other after both crashed into the South China Sea on Sunday afternoon.
The separate incidents involved an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, both of which were based on the Nimitz.
Despite the alarming, near-simultaneous crashes, the Navy confirmed that all personnel involved were rescued safely.
The two aviators aboard the F/A-18F Super Hornet successfully ejected and were recovered.
The three crew members of the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were also rescued shortly after the crash.
All five crew members are reported to be safe and in stable condition, according to the Pacific Fleet statement. The causes of both crashes are currently under investigation.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo, weighed in on the unusual incidents. The President suggested the crashes could have been caused by “bad fuel.”
President Trump explicitly ruled out foul play, stating that there was “nothing to hide” regarding the accidents.
The incidents occurred as the USS Nimitz is on its final deployment before its scheduled decommissioning. The carrier is currently returning to its home port at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state, having spent most of the summer deployed to the Middle East as part of the U.S. response to Houthi rebel attacks on commercial shipping.
The dual crash comes months after another carrier, the USS Harry S Truman, experienced a series of mishaps, including the mistaken shoot-down of an F/A-18 jet by the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg in December.