A U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, valued at approximately $67 million, plunged into the Red Sea on Tuesday following a failed landing attempt aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed. This marks the second such incident involving aircraft from the Truman in just over a week.
According to CENTCOM, the arresting system—designed to decelerate aircraft during landing—failed to catch the jet’s tailhook, resulting in the aircraft overshooting the flight deck and falling into the sea. Both aviators aboard the two-seat jet ejected successfully and were quickly recovered by a search and rescue helicopter. They sustained minor injuries and are receiving medical evaluation.
“No flight deck personnel were injured during the incident,” the military noted in an official statement.
The latest mishap follows the April 28 loss of another F/A-18 from the same carrier, which slipped off the deck during towing operations, injuring one sailor and submerging both the aircraft and its towing tractor. In a separate incident late last year, another F/A-18 was accidentally downed by friendly fire from the USS Gettysburg, a guided missile cruiser. The pilots in all three incidents survived.
The USS Harry S. Truman is one of two U.S. aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East as part of ongoing military operations. U.S. forces have been targeting Houthi rebel positions in Yemen since mid-March in efforts to safeguard maritime navigation in the region.
In related developments, Oman, acting as a diplomatic mediator, announced on Tuesday that the United States and Houthi representatives had reached a ceasefire agreement, aiming to de-escalate tensions in the Red Sea corridor.
