Topline
A Navy fighter jet and a helicopter crashed into the South China Sea in two separate incidents on Sunday, the Pacific Fleet said in a statement, a set of accidents that come just months after the Navy lost two carrier-borne fighter jets in separate incidents over the Red Sea.
FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Navy F/A 18 Super Hornet operating from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.
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Key Facts
The first incident involved an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73, which crashed into the South China Sea “while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz,” the Pacific Fleet said.
The statement added that all three crew members on board the helicopter were safely recovered by search-and-rescue teams deployed by the carrier.
In a separate incident that occurred half an hour later, a Navy F/A 18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft, which was also conducting “routine operations” from the deck of the Nimitz.
Both crew members on board managed to eject from the fighter jet and were also “safely recovered” by search and rescue teams.
All five rescued personnel are “in stable condition,” the Pacific Fleet said, adding that the causes of both crashes are “currently under investigation.”
Big Number
4. That is the total number of F/A 18 Super Hornets the Navy has lost so far this year in separate incidents. In all instances, the aircraft’s crew members successfully ejected before the crash.