Overview
- A landing mishap occurred during recovery operations off Virginia at about 6:18 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, when two aviators ejected from an aircraft aboard the Nimitz-class carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
- Search-and-rescue teams promptly recovered both aviators and returned them to the ship for medical evaluation according to a Navy statement.
- Four shipboard personnel were injured in the incident and are receiving care, with one sailor transported to a Norfolk-area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
- The Navy has not identified the aircraft type, said whether the aircraft was lost, or offered a cause, though reporting narrows likely candidates within Carrier Air Wing 3 to two-seat types such as the F/A-18F Super Hornet or the EA-18G Growler.
- The carrier had recently completed a maintenance period and returned to sea for early carrier qualifications, and Navy officials say a formal review will determine what happened and whether any changes to flight-deck procedures are needed.