F/A-18E jet falls overboard from US Navy aircraft carrier in Red Sea
The US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman lost one of its F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter aircraft and a tow tractor as the ship operated in the Red Sea on Monday, April 28.
The navy said all personnel are accounted for, with one sailor sustaining a minor injury.
The F/A-18E, which was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 136, was actively under tow in Truman's hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard.
Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.
The navy said the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and Truman's embarked air wing remain fully mission capable.
The incident is the second involving Truman as well as the second involving one of its embarked aircraft over the last six months.
On December 22, 2024, one of Truman's embarked F/A-18F two-seat Super Hornets was mistakenly shot down by the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg while operating in the Red Sea. US Central Command described the incident as an apparent case of "friendly fire."
The pilot and the weapon systems officer were later safely rescued.
On February 12, Truman herself collided with a commercial vessel off the coast of Egypt. The carrier later underwent repairs at Souda Bay in Greece and resumed operations less than two weeks after the collision.
After returning to service in late February, Truman redeployed to the Red Sea and launched over 5,500 sorties, including two self-defence strikes into Houthi-controlled Yemen territory and a large force strike against ISIS-Somalia targets in Northeast Somalia in coordination with US Africa Command.
