Two U.S. Navy aircraft went down in the South China Sea in separate incidents within 30 minutes of each other, a naval command said.
The two aircraft were both conducting routine operations over the disputed waters, to which China lays extensive claims. Five crew members were involved in total, all of whom have been safely rescued.
The U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter first went down in the waters of the South China Sea at around 2:45 pm local time Sunday. All three crew members were recovered safely.
Just 30 minutes later, at 3:15 pm, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet also crashed while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. Two crew members ejected from the jet and were later recovered.
“All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition,” the Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest fleet command, said in a statement. They added that an investigation has been launched into both the incidents.
U.S. President Donald Trump described the back-to-back crashes as “very unusual” and suggested a possible fuel issue while speaking to reporters on board the Air Force One Monday, during his flight from Malaysia to Japan.
At the time of the incident, the USS Nimitz was returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after having been deployed to the Middle East for most of the summer as part of America’s response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The carrier was on its final deployment before being decommissioned.
First commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz is the U.S. Navy’s oldest serving aircraft carrier and is slated for retirement in 2026.
Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are the biggest ships in the navy, measuring almost 1,100ft from bow to stern. They are capable of operating for 20 years continuously without refueling due to their on-board nuclear power plants.
The incidents occurred amid Trump’s tour in Asia, where he is expected to meet a host of Asian leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China.
China has been ramping up efforts to fortify its territorial claims in the South China Sea as it remains in dispute over numerous islands and waterways in the sea with other Southeast Asian nations. Beijing has been asserting its ownership over almost all of the strategic waterway.
U.S. forces maintain a presence in the region to support regional allies and push back on Chinese sovereignty claims.
