Two California-based naval aircraft crashed Sunday while conducting “routine operations” in the South China Sea, military officials said.
A U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (HSM-73) of Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, went down in the waters of the South China Sea around 2:45 p.m. local time Sunday. Search and rescue crews successfully recovered all three crew members on board safely.
Within 30 minutes, a second apparently unrelated incident was reported around 3:15 p.m. after an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet also went down in the waters nearby. The F/A-18F is assigned to Naval Air Station Lemoore-based Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2). Both crew members were also rescued after successfully ejecting from the aircraft.
U.S. Navy/MC3 Dylan M. Kinee
U.S. Navy/MC3 Dylan M. Kinee
An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to the “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 prepares to make an arrested landing on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) during Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2018.
All five rescued crew members are in stable condition, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet officials. Both aircraft were based on the USS Nimitz and conducting “routine operations” at the time of the incidents.
The cause of both crashes is under investigation.
The USS Nimitz is one of the largest warships in the world and is the oldest American aircraft carrier in active service. The ship is scheduled for decommissioning in 2026.
“We are here in the South China Sea to build proficiency while showcasing the carrier strike group’s ability to maintain warfighting advantage and execute flight operations supporting the full spectrum of operations,” Rear Adm. Fred Goldhammer, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, said in June. “We are doing more than ever to strengthen peace, stability, and deterrence across the Indo-Pacific, and the Nimitz Strike group will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows.”