On Tuesday, May 6, a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet failed to successfully land on the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, crashing into the Red Sea. This is the fourth major incident to occur on the carrier recently, and the third carrier-based fighter jet crash since the carrier left the U.S. for deployment last year.
According to a statement from the U.S. Navy, the approximately $67 million F/A-18F “Super Hornet” fighter jet attempted to decelerate upon landing on the USS Harry S. Truman but failed, ultimately crashing into the sea. The Navy stated that the two pilots on board safely ejected and were rescued by a helicopter at sea. They sustained minor injuries, and there were no injuries to personnel on the carrier’s flight deck.
Two sources informed CNN that when the jet tried to land on the carrier, a malfunction occurred in the arresting gear system, forcing the pilots and weapons systems operator to eject for survival.
On April 28, the U.S. Navy reported that an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet flipped off the USS Harry S. Truman and crashed into the Red Sea. At the time of the incident, there was a soldier on board the jet, with another soldier inside the towing vehicle. Both soldiers successfully escaped.
In December last year, a carrier-based fighter jet from the USS Harry S. Truman was accidentally shot down by another navy vessel, the USS Gettysburg, over the Red Sea.
The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has been deployed to the Red Sea since September last year to assist in protecting commercial ships from ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Since March 15, the carrier’s aircraft have been actively involved in targeted strikes against Houthi rebel forces.
Earlier this year, the USS Harry S. Truman collided with a commercial vessel near the Suez Canal, leading to the dismissal of the carrier’s commanding officer.
The carrier was originally scheduled to return home last month, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended its deployment and ordered another carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to the region to bolster military presence in the Middle East.