Another fighter jet lost at sea after falling off Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier
There were only minor injuries after the 2-seater, F-18 Super Hornet fell off the aircraft carrier as it was landing at around 9:45 p.m. local time Tuesday (early afternoon East Coast time), the officials said.
The two aviators aboard ejected after the failed landing, in which the aircraft failed to catch the wire, known as a "failed arrestment," one of the officials said.
The loss of the fighter jet is the second from the USS Harry S. Truman in a little more than one week.
A Super Hornet, along with the tow tractor that was pulling it, fell off the deck of the ship on April 28, the office of the Navy Chief of Information in Bahrain said in a statement.
Tuesday's incident is under investigation.
One official said that based on initial reporting, the failed arrestment happened when the tail hook failed to hook the wire which slows down the aircraft. The aircraft continued to accelerate toward the bow of the ship and went into the water, the official said.
The fighter jet that fell after trying to land Tuesday was an F/A-18F, the officials said. The fighter jet that fell as it was being towed on April 28 was a $67 million F/A-18E, the Navy said.
The April 28 incident happened after the jet "was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft," the Navy said in the statement about that mishap. An investigation is underway, it said.
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