The U.S. Navy has launched an investigation after a $67 million F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet was accidentally lost overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman during operations in the Middle East on Monday.
According to a Navy statement released from Bahrain, the incident occurred as the aircraft was being towed within the hangar bay.
The tow tractor and aircraft both plunged into the Red Sea after the crew lost control. One sailor sustained a minor injury, but no other personnel were harmed.
“The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard. Sailors took immediate action to move clear before the aircraft fell,” the statement read.
It remains unclear how the towing operation went so wrong. Fighter jets are routinely moved around carrier hangars to position them for flights or storage, and procedures are typically highly regulated.
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Adding to the mystery are claims from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who released a statement Monday asserting that they had launched ballistic and cruise missiles at the USS Truman and other American warships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis allege the strikes were retaliation for a U.S. air raid on a prison facility in Yemen that reportedly killed at least 68 people.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to pursue and target enemy warships until the aggression against Yemen ends,” the group said.
U.S. officials have not confirmed any direct link between the alleged missile attacks and the jet’s fall.
Despite the dramatic loss, Navy officials stressed that the aircraft carrier remains fully operational.
The USS Harry Truman is part of a larger strike group including guided-missile destroyers and the USS Gettysburg cruiser. The carrier can hold up to 85 aircraft and spans over 1,000 feet.
The F/A-18E Super Hornet, manufactured by Boeing, has been a mainstay of U.S. naval aviation since 2001 and is also used by allied forces in Australia and Kuwait.
