5 crew members rescued after Navy helicopter, fighter jet go down in South China Sea in separate incidents

Five crew members were rescued after a Navy Sea Hawk helicopter and Super Hornet fighter jet went down in the South China Sea a half-hour apart in two separate incidents Sunday, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said.

In one incident, an MH-60R helicopter assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 went down at 2:45 p.m. local time, the Pacific Fleet said in a Facebook post. The squadron is based at Naval Air Station North Island on the Coronado peninsula in San Diego, California.

Search and rescue teams were deployed and safely recovered all three crew members on board the helicopter, the Pacific Fleet said.

Separately, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 went down at 3:15 p.m., according to the fleet. That squadron is based at Naval Air Station Lemoore located in Kings and Fresno County, California.

Both crew members on the fighter jet “successfully ejected” and were also rescued, U.S. Pacific Fleet said.

In both incidents, the aircraft were conducting “routine operations” from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet said. The Pentagon deferred comment to the Navy, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday night.

All crew members involved are in safe and stable condition, Pacific Fleet said.

The incidents come as President Donald Trump is in Southeast Asia for a three-country tour.

He arrived in Malaysia on Sunday. He will also stop in Japan and South Korea and is expected to meet Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

It was unclear Sunday whether the Navy helicopter and fighter jet that went down were conducting flights related to Trump’s trip.