(WASHINGTON) — Another Navy fighter jet sank to the bottom of the Red Sea on Tuesday following the second such mishap aboard the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in just over a week, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The F/A-18 F fighter jet was attempting a nighttime landing onto the deck of the carrier when the crew was unable to stop it in time before going off the side, according to the official. When the “failed arrestment” of the aircraft became apparent, the two pilots ejected.
Both of the pilots were recovered and early indications are that they suffered minor injuries, the official said. No other injuries were reported.
The incident happened at 8:45 p.m. local time in the Red Sea, according to the official. It was not immediately unclear what led to the failed arrestment during the landing.
The incident is the fourth major mishap involving the carrier since it deployed last year, including when another F/A-18 jet fell off the side of the Truman just eight days ago. That jet was being towed in the hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft, which then tumbled off the side along with the tow truck.
An investigation into the April 28 incident remains underway. F/A-18 jets cost some $70 million each.
In February, the Truman collided with a large merchant vessel in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea. That incident followed an accidental shootdown of another F/A-18 late last year by one of the surface ships belonging to the Truman strike group.
The Truman has been operating in the Red Sea since last year when it was deployed to help protect commercial ships against near-constant attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The carrier was slated to come home last month, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended its deployment while ordering another carrier — the USS Carl Vinson — to the region to bolster military power.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. would stop bombing the Houthis because the rebel group had agreed to stand down. A senior Houthi official said the group was not immediately agreeing to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, saying they had to evaluate it first.
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