Petty Officer 3rd Class Rebekah Watkins via Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
- The Navy said that two aircraft deployed from the same carrier crashed separately on Sunday.
- A Sea Hawk crashed at 2.15 p.m., while a Super Hornet went down half an hour later.
- The incidents coincide with Trump’s Asia tour, which includes high-stakes trade talks with Xi Jinping.
A US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter crashed in separate incidents on Sunday in the South China Sea, the US Pacific Fleet said.
Both military aircraft had been deployed from the USS Nimitz and went down 30 minutes apart from each other during routine operations, the Navy said in a statement on Sunday.
“All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation,” it said.
According to the statement, the Sea Hawk was the first to go down at about 2.45 p.m. local time. It was assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73.
The three crew members on board were later rescued, the Navy said.
The Super Hornet, from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22, crashed at 3:15 p.m., per the Navy. The statement added that both crew members had ejected just before the fighter jet crashed.
The separate incidents come as President Donald Trump is on a diplomatic tour in Asia this week, which he kick-started with a meeting in Malaysia on Sunday.
The tour is expected to include a leg in China, where Trump is scheduled to meet China’s leader, Xi Jinping. Trade is high on the agenda as the Trump administration threatens severe tariffs on China and tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to grow.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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