US fighter jet, Navy helicopter crash in separate incidents into South China Sea; all crew safe
A US Navy fighter jet and helicopter operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said in a statement.
According to the Navy, the three crew members aboard the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and the two aviators from the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet all ejected safely and were rescued from the sea.
“All five personnel are safe and in stable condition,” the Pacific Fleet said, adding that both incidents are under investigation.
Trump suggests ‘bad fuel’ may have been a factor
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Tokyo on Monday, former President Donald Trump said the twin crashes might have been caused by “bad fuel.”
“There’s nothing to hide,” Trump said, emphasizing that both rescue operations had gone “exactly as planned.”
The USS Nimitz, one of the Navy’s oldest and most storied aircraft carriers, was returning to its home port at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington State after a summer deployment to the Middle East, where it supported US operations in response to Houthi rebel attacks on commercial shipping.
This marks the carrier’s final deployment before decommissioning.
Recent string of Navy aviation incidents
The latest mishaps come amid a series of recent accidents involving US Navy aircraft.
In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down an F/A-18 jet from the USS Harry S. Truman.
In April, another F/A-18 slipped off the Truman’s hangar deck and plunged into the Red Sea.
And in May, an F/A jet attempting to land on the carrier overshot the deck and went overboard after failing to catch arresting cables, forcing its two pilots to eject.
No fatalities were reported in any of these incidents. Investigations into all the cases remain pending.
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