The United States Navy has reported that a fighter jet, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, accidentally rolled off the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and sank into the depths of the Red Sea.
The incident occurred while the $70 million jet was being towed from the ship’s hangar bay. According to Navy officials, human error was responsible for the mishap. It was confirmed that two enlisted crew members were involved at the time — one aboard the aircraft and another inside the towing tractor. Both personnel managed to jump clear of the falling jet in time, although one suffered a minor injury.
In an official statement, the Navy explained:
"The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard. Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway."
The USS Harry S. Truman has been operating in the Red Sea since September 2024, following its deployment to protect commercial shipping lanes from near-constant attacks by Houthi rebels operating from Yemen.
Responding to initial speculation, officials clarified that the recent Houthi attacks in the region had no connection to the fighter jet accident. The Navy stressed that the mishap was purely accidental and not the result of hostile action.
This is not the first operational challenge faced by the USS Harry S. Truman during its current mission. Earlier in the year, the carrier was involved in a collision with a merchant ship near the Suez Canal. That incident resulted in the dismissal of the ship’s commanding officer after a formal investigation into navigational errors.
Initially scheduled to return to its homeport last month, the Truman's deployment was extended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid rising tensions in the region. The USS Carl Vinson was also dispatched to strengthen the United States’ naval presence in the Red Sea and surrounding waters.
The Navy has launched a formal investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led to the loss of the F/A-18E Super Hornet. Recovery efforts for the sunken aircraft have not been announced .
