Official U.S. Navy file photo of an F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter on final approach for an arrested landing aboard the aircraft car...
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| Official U.S. Navy file photo of an F/A-18E Super Hornet Strike Fighter on final approach for an arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) |
The Boeing F/A-18E assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 was on final approach to Carl Vinson, when transiting the Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between Indonesia and Philippines.
The pilot safely ejected and was quickly recovered by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).
The aircraft was conducting routine flight operations, a US Navy statement said.
The pilot is being assessed by the medical team aboard Carl Vinson and there are no apparent injuries at this time.
The Carl Vinson Strike Group, including the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, embarked Carrier Air Wing 2, guided missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy, and guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, is operating in the Western Pacific in a show of force mission in the region following North Korea's provocative ballistic missile and nuclear testing, skipping a previously planned port visits to Australia.
The twin engined F/A-18 is the primary carrier borne strike aircraft operated by US Navy and US Marine Corps. Crash involving the type has been increasing in past years. Last year, US Marines lost five of the aircraft to crashes that killed three pilots.
