by Caitlyn Burchett at Stars and Stripes
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…
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