US fighter falls overboard aircraft carrier, sinks into ocean

A more than $60 million F/A-18E Super Hornet on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier fell overboard and was “lost” to the Red Sea, the Navy announced Monday.

The fighter jet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 136, “was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” according to a Navy statement.

The service noted that the sailors towing the aircraft “took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,” with only one individual sustaining minor injuries.

 An investigation into the incident is underway.

The Harry S. Truman carrier strike group has been in the Middle East region since February, with aircraft aboard the vessel involved in ongoing strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen starting March 15. 

A U.S. official told CNN that initial reports indicate that the aircraft carrier, in evading Houthi fire, made a hard turn that led to the F/A-18E falling overboard.

The Houthis claimed Monday to have launched a drone and missile attack on the Truman.

The carrier, which underwent repairs earlier this year following a collision with a merchant vessel near Egypt, was previously involved in a downed F/A-18. In that December incident, the fighter jet from the Truman was “mistakenly fired” upon and downed in the Red Sea by the USS Gettysburg, though both pilots were able to eject safely.

The Navy stressed Monday that the strike group and its air wing “remain fully mission capable.”