An E-2D Advanced Hawkeye plane missed its cable while attempting to land on an aircraft carrier earlier this month and damaged four aircraft on the deck in the process, Navy officials confirmed this week.
The incident took placed at about 7:40 p.m. Aug. 9 on the Abraham Lincoln as it sailed the Arabian Sea, according to US 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Joshua Frey.
According to the Naval Safety Center E-2D Hawkeye propeller aircraft struck two F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft and sent debris flying into two other F/A-18s on the flight deck while attempting to land aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea.
The carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft was recovering [landing] when it “impacted two other aircraft and caused debris impact damage to two additional aircraft,” U.S. Navy Cmdr. Josh Frey, spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, told Military.com via email.
“The landing aircraft was diverted and arrived safely at the divert location. No personnel were injured,” he said. The divert location was not provided for operational security reasons.
The Naval Safety Center described the incident as a bolter in his report. A bolter happens when the aircraft misses the arresting cable in a landing attempt.
Frey said the affected aircraft are undergoing maintenance.
“There was minor damage to the aircraft involved, all of which is currently being repaired in order to return the aircraft to mission readiness,” he said.
Citing the ongoing probe, Frey declined to elaborate on where the Hawkeye eventually landed or other details about the accident, except to note that the other damaged aircraft were “F/A-18 variants,” which could mean F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets or EA-18G Growlers.
The Navy classified the incident as a so-called “Class A” mishap, which involves property damage of $2 million or more.
It is the eighth Class A aviation mishap since the federal fiscal year began on Oct. 1.
Known for the big radar rotodome on its upper fuselage, the Hawkeye is the sea service’s battle management and airborne early warning, command and control aircraft.
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group arrived in the region in May during rising tensions with Iran.
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