The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet and a tow tractor when both fell overboard on Monday, the American Navy said in a press statement, adding that the incident occurs as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28.
The statement confirmed that all personnel are accounted for, with one Sailor sustaining a minor injury.
According to the navy statement the F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft and 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 statement concluded that the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, embarked air wing remain fully mission capable and the strike group consists of flagship Harry S. Truman, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64).
This incident marks the second Super Hornet that the Truman has lost while deployed to the Red Sea, and it is the third major mishap that has occurred aboard the aircraft carrier in the last several months