Two Navy Aviators Eject, Four Sailors Injured in Aircraft Mishap Aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
The incident occurred during a landing attempt off the coast of Virginia.
Two U.S. Navy aviators ejected their aircraft during a landing attempt aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off the coast of Virginia on Monday evening. The mishap also resulted in injuries to four sailors on the aircraft carrier.
One sailor sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is receiving treatment at a Norfolk-area hospital, according to the Navy. The two aviators, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3, were safely recovered by search and rescue personnel and are being evaluated by medical staff.
The type of aircraft involved and the specific cause of the mishap were not immediately disclosed by the Navy. The service branch did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that entered service in 1977, was operating off the Virginia coast at the time of the incident. This event follows a series of recent incidents involving military aviation.
In May, four Navy crew members ejected safely after two EA-18G Growlers collided during an aerial demonstration at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Both aircraft crashed following the collision. In another incident, a pilot ejected from an F-35 that crashed at MCAS Miramar, sparking a fire.
Former TOPGUN pilot Matthew Buckley previously told Fox News Digital that ejecting from an aircraft at high speed can lead to severe, lifelong injuries, including spinal damage, even for survivors. "When you pull that handle, you have two choices: die or maybe live," Buckley said. "And I said, 'maybe live' because it's incredibly violent. Most folks don't even remember the ejection. They remember pulling the handle and then waking up in their parachute."