WASHINGTON — The Navy’s Pacific Fleet reported that both a fighter jet and a helicopter stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within a span of 30 minutes.
Rescue operations successfully retrieved the three crew members of the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter on Sunday afternoon. Additionally, the two pilots of the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet managed to eject and were also safely recovered. All five individuals are “safe and in stable condition,” according to the fleet’s official statement.
The statement also noted that investigations are underway to determine the reasons behind the crashes.
During a briefing on Air Force One while traveling to Tokyo on Monday, President Donald Trump suggested that “bad fuel” could be a possible cause of the incidents.
President Trump dismissed the possibility of foul play and emphasized that there was “nothing to hide.”
The USS Nimitz is currently on its way back to its home port at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state. This follows its deployment to the Middle East over the summer, a mission aimed at addressing the threats posed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial vessels.
The carrier is on its final deployment before decommissioning.
Another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, suffered a series of mishaps in recent months while deployed to the Middle East.
In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 jet from the Truman.
Then, in April, another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the Truman’s hangar deck and fell into the Red Sea.
And in May, an F/A fighter jet landing on the carrier in the Red Sea went overboard after apparently failing to catch the steel cables used to stop landing planes and forcing its two pilots to eject.
No sailors were killed in any of those mishaps.
The results of investigations into those incidents have yet to be released.
