Two U.S. Navy aviators safely ejected during an aircraft recovery operation aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off Virginia, while four sailors on the carrier were injured and one required hospital treatment.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Two U.S. Navy aviators were rescued after ejecting from an aircraft during a landing operation aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Monday, an incident that also injured four sailors working aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The accident occurred during aircraft recovery operations while the Eisenhower was operating off the coast of Virginia, according to the Navy.
The service described the incident as a “mishap” but did not disclose what went wrong during the attempted recovery or identify the type of aircraft involved.
The two aviators were assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3.
Search-and-rescue personnel recovered both aviators following the ejection and returned them safely to the Eisenhower, where they were evaluated by medical personnel.
Four sailors aboard the carrier were also injured during the incident.
Three were receiving medical care aboard the ship, while one sailor was transported to a hospital in the Norfolk, Virginia, area. The Navy said that sailor’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.
No additional information about the conditions of the other injured sailors or the two aviators was immediately released.
The Navy also did not disclose what happened to the aircraft following the ejection.
The aircraft was described as a two-seat plane, but the service had not publicly identified its model or released information indicating whether it was recovered, damaged on the flight deck or lost overboard.
The cause of the mishap also remained unknown.
Carrier landings are among the most demanding operations in military aviation. Aircraft approaching a carrier must descend toward a relatively small moving flight deck and use an arresting hook to engage cables designed to rapidly bring the aircraft to a stop.
Flight deck personnel simultaneously perform numerous tasks around recovering aircraft, placing sailors in close proximity to high-speed aircraft, jet exhaust and specialized recovery equipment.
The circumstances surrounding Monday’s accident, including whether the aircraft encountered a mechanical problem or an issue developed during the landing sequence, had not been disclosed.
The Navy said the incident was under review.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that has served in the U.S. fleet for nearly five decades.
Commissioned in 1977, the carrier is capable of operating a large embarked air wing composed of aircraft used for strike missions, air defense, electronic warfare, surveillance, logistics and other missions.
Carrier Air Wing 3, whose two aviators were involved in Monday’s mishap, operates from the Eisenhower during flight operations and deployments.
The successful recovery of both aviators came as four other personnel aboard the carrier required treatment, making the accident both an aviation emergency and a flight-deck casualty incident.
The Navy had not announced additional details about the identities of those involved.
Officials also had not said when more information about the aircraft, the sequence of events or the cause of the accident would be released.
For now, the Navy has confirmed that both aviators survived the ejection, all four injured shipboard personnel received medical attention and the only sailor transported ashore suffered injuries described as non-life-threatening.
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