US Navy loses F-18 fighter jet from Harry S Truman aircraft carrier in Red Sea

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) – A US F-18 fighter jet and a tow tractor from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman both went down while operating in the Red Sea, the US Navy said Monday.

"USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea,” the navy said in a statement.

All personnel are accounted for, with one sailor having sustained a minor injury, it added.

The navy said the F/A-18E was "actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft," causing the aircraft and tow tractor to go overboard.

"Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard," according to the statement.

An investigation into the incident is underway.

Saying that "the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable," the statement said the strike group includes the Harry S. Truman, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the cruiser Gettysburg.