A total of eight sailors are being evaluated after an accident involving the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which happened after 6 p.m. Monday, off the coast of Virginia Beach.
Two Naval aviators from the Third Carrier Wing safely ejected and were recovered from the water by search and rescue personnel. An arresting cable on the carrier snapped as the E/A-18G Growler attempted to land, injuring sailors on board.
One sailor was flown to a Norfolk-area hospital for what the Navy describes as non-life threatening injuries. The two aviators and two more sailors were flown to Portsmouth Naval Hospital for evaluation, according to the Navy.
USS Eisenhower is in training off the coast of Virginia, after finishing a maintenance period in April. The ship and its crew are in the middle of carrier qualifications, which will allow the Eisenhower to be certified as ready to deploy.
The accident is under investigation and some of the planes on the flight deck may have been damaged, but the damage to the carrier does not appear substantial enough to impact the carrier’s next deployment, according to a Navy spokesman.
The aircraft carrier last returned home to Norfolk in July, 2024, after a nine month deployment to the Middle East.
The Growler attached to the Virginia Beach-based “Zappers" of Electronic Attack Squadron 130. The jet is a modified version of a F/A 18, which the Navy uses to jam radar and electronically suppress enemy air defenses. The planes cost $68 million.
The Navy classifies all accidents that involve loss of life, permanent disability or at least $2.5 million of damage as a Class A Mishap, which will require the Navy to conduct a formal safety investigation.
