A fighter plane F / A-18th rolled on the side an aircraft carrier and sank at the bottom of the Red Sea, the navy announced on Monday.
There was an enlisted crew member on board the jet and a second crew member enrolled inside the tractor when the incident occurred.
The two staff members were able to jump in time with a single person undergoing a minor injury, according to officials.
An F / A-18 Super Hornet allocated to the “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 105 launches from the piloting bridge of the Nimitz USS class aircraft carrier
Ricardo Reyes / Us Navy, files
In the extraordinary accident, the $ 70 million jet was towed from the USS Harry S. Truman Harry S. Harry Bay when the crew lost control.
A Hornet F / A-18 launches from the piloting bridge of the Nimitz USS Harry S. Truman class aircraft carrier.
Ricardo Reyes / Us Navy, files
“The F / A-18th was actively under the trailer in the bay of the hangar when the moving crew lost control of the plane. The plane and the towing tractor were lost over board,” the navy wrote in a statement.
“The sailors towing the plane took immediate measures to move away from the plane before it fell over board. An investigation is underway,” added the service.
The USS, Harry S. Truman, has been operating in the Red Sea since last September, when it was deployed to help protect commercial ships from the almost constant attacks of Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Three Hornets F / A-18 fly in training on the nuclear nuclear propulsion carrier Nimitz USS Harry S. Truman.
Petty Office 1st class Jay Pugh / Us Navy, files
We do not know what contributed to the members of the crew who lose control of the plane aboard the carrier, which has already been targeted by the Houthis. According to an American official, the first field reports suggest that a sudden movement of the carrier due to the Houthi fire could have been a factor in the incident.
But these reports remained unconfirmed while the investigation takes place.
The Truman carrier was involved in another incident earlier this year when he collided with a merchant ship near the Suez Canal. His commander was then dismissed.
The carrier was to go home last month, but the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, extended its deployment while ordering another carrier – USS Carl Vinson – to the region to strengthen military power.
Publisher’s note: This story has been updated to reflect additional reports.
