Landing mishap on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier injures 4 sailors, 2 aviators eject from plane
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) sails in the Mediterranean Sea, June 30, 2024. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Merissa Daley)
Four sailors onboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier were injured Monday evening in what the U.S. Navy is calling a "mishap."
What we know:
It happened off the coast of Virginia when two U.S. Navy aviators ejected while trying to land their aircraft. The aviators are assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3 and were able to successfully eject and were rescued by search and rescue personnel and returned to the ship for medical evaluation, the Navy said in a short statement.
The Navy said the four sailors were also receiving medical care, including one who was transported to a hospital in the Norfolk, Virginia, area for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
The Navy did not say which type of two-seater plane was involved in the accident, nor what happened to the plane or what might have caused the accident. The Navy did not immediately answer a request for further details.
The backstory:
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, entered service in 1977.