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Two U.S. Navy aircraft, a Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, both operating from the USS Nimitz, crashed separately during standard operations over the South China Sea on Sunday. Fortunately, the Navy reported that all five crew members were rescued and are in stable condition as investigations into the incidents are underway.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Navy’s largest operational command, shared on X that the first crash occurred at approximately 2:54 p.m. local time. An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, part of the “Battle Cats” from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73, went down while executing routine operations from the USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
In response, search-and-rescue units from Carrier Strike Group 11, stationed with the Nimitz, swiftly initiated recovery missions, successfully retrieving all three helicopter crew members from the sea.
The rescued personnel were transported back to the carrier for medical assessment, and officials later confirmed that they were in stable condition.
About 30 minutes following the helicopter’s crash, an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 also crashed into the South China Sea during flight operations.
In this handout photo provided by the Navy Visual News Service, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) gets underway, following a port visit to Naples, Italy October 21, 2006, at sea. (Miguel Angel Contreras/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Search-and-rescue teams again responded swiftly, recovering the jet’s two crew members, who had successfully ejected before the aircraft hit the water. Both aviators were transported back to the Nimitz and are reported to be in stable condition.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement that all five service members involved in the crashes are safe and accounted for.
An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin McTaggart/U.S. Navy via AP)
The causes of both incidents remain under investigation.
The Navy has not released additional details about weather conditions, possible mechanical issues, or the nature of the training missions being conducted at the time of the crashes.
The USS Nimitz, the Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier, is deployed in the Indo-Pacific region as part of Carrier Strike Group 11, which routinely conducts freedom-of-navigation and maritime security operations in the South China Sea—waters that have become increasingly contested amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China.
