Four US Navy sailors were injured aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier off the Virginia coast on Monday evening after an aircraft encountered a mishap during landing operations.
The US Navy said the incident occurred at about 6:18 p.m. EDT on September 28 while aircraft recovery operations were underway aboard the Nimitz-class carrier.
“At approximately 6:18 p.m. EDT on Sept. 28, a mishap occurred during aircraft recovery operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier,” the US Navy said in a statement.
Two aviators aboard the aircraft ejected during the incident and were subsequently recovered by search-and-rescue personnel before being returned safely to the carrier for medical evaluation.
One of the four injured sailors was evacuated to a hospital in the Norfolk area for treatment of “non-life-threatening injuries,” while the other three received treatment aboard the ship, according to the Navy.
The military did not disclose the type of aircraft involved or the circumstances surrounding the mishap.
The Eisenhower typically operates F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets and EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, both of which can carry two crew members.
The carrier completed a 15-month maintenance and repair period in April and was conducting carrier qualification exercises off Virginia as recently as late August, according to US Defense Department releases.
