A fighter jet landing on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in the Red Sea went overboard, forcing both pilots to eject, a defense official said.
Tuesday's incident involving an F/A-18 was the latest unfortunate event to mar the Truman's deployment, which has played a key role in the U.S. campaign to carry out airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and Oman's foreign minister announced a ceasefire deal with the Houthis that promised not to attack ships in the Red Sea corridor, though the rebels did not immediately agree to it.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on social media site X that the investigation was ongoing and added that “this plane was not shot down by the Houthis.”
“The Harry S Truman carrier strike group remains fully operational,” he said.
At the same time, the Houthis continue to assess the damage after the day's Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is under their control.
An F/A-18 Super Hornet landed on Truman after completing the mission, but “the arrest failed,” a source told The Associated Press.
“Arrest” refers to a system of hooks used by planes landing on aircraft carriers that grabs steel cables on the deck. It is unclear exactly which part of the system failed.
Both pilots on board were later rescued by helicopter with minor injuries, the official added. No one on deck was hurt.
CNN was the first to report the incident.
Tuesday's incident was the latest to cost the US Navy an F/A-18, valued at around $60 million (£45 million). In April, another F/A-18 slid off the Truman hangar deck and crashed into the Red Sea. The crew, who were in the Super Hornet's pilot's seat and a small tug, bailed out.
In December, the cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down an F/A-18 after the ships had previously shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Both pilots in that incident also survived.
And in February, the Truman collided with a merchant ship near Port Said, Egypt.
Truman, based in Norfolk, Va., has extended its deployment multiple times during the campaign.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
