The US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed into the Philippine Sea on a routine training mission. Both crew ejected safely and were recovered by a helicopter crew from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8.
The incident is currently under investigation.
“The incident occurred as the F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 11 was conducting routine pilot proficiency training,” reads the statement.
“The incident is currently under investigation. Both aviators were assessed by the medical team on board Theodore Roosevelt and are in good condition.”
The squadron to which the fighter was assigned was not confirmed by the Navy at the time of this posting. According to public Navy information, though, the only squadron on the carrier that flies the two-seat F variant is the the “Black Knights” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154 from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
Theodore Roosevelt returned to sea on June 4 after spending more than two months in Guam battling a COVID-19 outbreak that infected more than 1,200 crew members and resulted in one death. Carrier Air Wing 11 was re-certified to operate from Theodore Roosevelt before the deployment resumed.
The ship is back underway currently operating in the Philippine Sea, according to Navy officials.
The Super Hornet crash in the Philippine Sea is the second U.S. military aircraft to crash this week: on Monday, Jun. 15, a U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle belonging to the 493rd Fighter Squadron “Grim Reapers” of the 48th Fighter Wing from RAF Lakenheath, crashed into the North Sea off the coast of the UK. The pilot, 1st Lt. Kenneth “Kage” Allen, was killed in the crash.
