For second time in 8 days, U.S. fighter jet assigned to USS Truman is lost in Red Sea

For the second time in just over a week, an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman has been lost in the Red Sea, a defense official confirmed to CBS News. The two pilots aboard the aircraft sustained minor injuries in the ordeal.  

The official said in a statement that the Super Hornet was attempting to land on the flight deck of the Truman Tuesday “when an arrestment failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard.”

An arrestment is the mechanism that a carrier uses to safely slow down and halt a fighter jet as it lands.  

“Both aviators safely ejected and were rescued by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11,” the official said. “The aviators were evaluated by medical personnel and assessed to have minor injuries. No flight deck personnel were injured.”

On April 28, a Super Hornet was being towed in the Truman hangar bay when crews lost control of the aircraft and it went overboard, along with the tow tractor. One sailor suffered minor injuries in the incident.

Two U.S. officials told CBS News that initial reports suggested the jet may have fallen overboard after the carrier turned sharply while taking evasive action against Yemen’s Houthi militants.

Sean Parnell, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said in statement that the Super Hornet that went into the Red Sea Tuesday “was not struck by the Houthis.”

The Truman Carrier Strike Group has experienced several serious incidents since it deployed to the Middle East in September 2024. In December, the USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 which had taken off from the Truman. The two-person crew were able to safely eject.

In February, the Truman accidentally collided with a merchant vessel near the Suez Canal.

Also Tuesday, President Trump disclosed that the Iranian-backed Houthis had agreed to a deal that would see them halt their attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea. Those attacks started in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.