US Navy Aircraft Crash Into South China Sea
All 5 crew members rescued after incidents involving USS Nimitz.
Two separate incidents occurred, involving an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet, operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68). The crashes happened roughly 30 minutes apart during routine operations, according to the US Pacific Fleet.
- The Sea Hawk is assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73.
- The Super Hornet belongs to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22.
The Pacific Fleet said the first incident took place at 1445 local time, when the MH-60R Sea Hawk went down while conducting routine operations from the Nimitz.
Search and rescue teams from Carrier Strike Group 11 quickly launched recovery efforts and successfully retrieved all three crew members.
Author's summary: US Navy rescues 5 crew members after aircraft crashes.