Overview
- The mishap occurred during aircraft recovery operations at about 6:18 p.m. EDT on Sept. 28 off the Virginia coast and led to an ejection from a two-seat aircraft.
- Search-and-rescue teams quickly recovered both aviators and returned them to the carrier for medical evaluation.
- Four shipboard personnel were injured during the incident and are receiving care, with one sailor taken to a Norfolk-area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
- The Navy has not identified the aircraft type or released details about what caused the mishap and says the event is under follow-up and investigation.
- The Eisenhower had left Naval Station Norfolk that afternoon for early carrier qualifications after a July repair period, and the mishap will trigger standard naval aviation reviews that could affect flight operations and the crew’s training schedule.