2LT International News

WASHINGTON, D.C.: A fighter jet and a helicopter from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz both crashed into the South China Sea within half an hour of each other, the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet said.

All five crew members survived. The three people aboard the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued on the afternoon of October 26, and the two pilots of the F/A-18F Super Hornet ejected safely. The Navy said everyone is safe and in stable condition.

The Navy is still investigating what caused the two crashes.

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Tokyo, said the crashes might have been caused by bad fuel. He ruled out foul play and said there was “nothing to hide.”

The USS Nimitz is heading back to its home port at Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after spending most of the summer in the Middle East, where it took part in the U.S. response to Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships. This is the ship’s final deployment before it is decommissioned.

Another U.S. carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, has also faced several accidents in recent months while serving in the Middle East.

• In December, the USS Gettysburg, a guided-missile cruiser, accidentally shot down an F/A-18 jet from the Truman.
• In April, another F/A-18 jet slipped off the Truman’s hangar deck and fell into the Red Sea.
• In May, an F/A fighter jet landing on the carrier went overboard after missing the arresting cables, forcing both pilots to eject.

No sailors were killed in any of these incidents, and the investigation results have not yet been released.