A sailor taxis an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 136 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in December 2024. (U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — A sailor was injured when a fighter jet and a towing tractor on the USS Harry S. Truman fell overboard as the aircraft carrier made a “hard turn” while operating in the Red Sea, defense officials said Monday.
Sailors were towing an F/A-18E Super Hornet in the hangar bay Monday when the crew “lost control of the aircraft,” the Navy said. The carrier made a “hard turn,” according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The maneuver, the official said, was a contributing factor in the loss of the jet and towing tractor. One sailor sustained a minor injury in the incident.
Fighter jets are routinely towed across the hangar deck to park them for flight operations or other work. It is unclear whether there will be an effort to recover the jet, which costs about $60 million, according to The Associated Press.
“Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,” the Navy said.
No one else was injured and all personnel have been accounted for.
The fighter jet was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 136 and deployed to the Red Sea as part of the Truman’s air wing, which is responsible for defending maritime shipping from Houthi drones and missiles. The jet was part of an air wing made of nine squadrons.
“The Harry S. Truman carrier strike group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable,” the Navy said.
The incident is under investigation and marks the second time in recent months that the Truman has lost a Super Hornet in the Red Sea.
Two Navy aviators had to be rescued in December after the fighter jet that they were flying was shot down in an apparent “friendly fire” incident. The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the Truman strike group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18 Super Hornet as it was flying off the carrier. The jet was responding to incoming one-way aerial attack drones and anti-ship cruise missiles threatening U.S. forces in the Red Sea.
The Truman was also recently involved in a collision with a merchant ship. The aircraft carrier and merchant ship collided Feb. 12 while operating near Egypt’s Port Said.
The carrier sustained damage to a line handling space, its fantail and a platform above a storage space. The exterior walls of two storage rooms and a maintenance space also were included in initial damage assessments.
Repairs and a thorough evaluation of Truman’s hull, which was penetrated well above the waterline on its right back end, required a week stay at Souda Bay. Those repairs included removing damaged pieces of metal and installing weatherproofing bulkheads, which are interior vertical walls that form compartments in a ship.
A little more than a week after the collision, the service fired Capt. Dave Snowden, the Truman’s commanding officer, citing a loss of confidence in his ability to command.
Capt. Chris Hill, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was named the Truman’s interim commander. Hill has served as the Truman’s interim commander since the collision.
