US Navy helicopter, jet crash into South China Sea

Published October 27, 2025
Navy Seals jump into the water during an amphibious capabilities demonstration as US Vice President JD Vance and US Second Lady Usha Vance visit, on Red Beach at Camp Pendleton, California, on October 18. —AFP/File
Navy Seals jump into the water during an amphibious capabilities demonstration as US Vice President JD Vance and US Second Lady Usha Vance visit, on Red Beach at Camp Pendleton, California, on October 18. —AFP/File

Two US Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea in separate incidents on Sunday, officials said, with no fatalities reported.

The first crash involved an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, which “went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz,” according to a statement from the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet.

All three crew members aboard the helicopter were recovered by search and rescue teams, the statement said.

A half-hour later, according to the Navy, a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the South China Sea, also “while conducting routine operations” from the USS Nimitz.

The Navy’s statement said both crew members aboard ejected themselves from the vessel and were safely recovered.

“All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition,” the US Navy said. “The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation.”

The crashes come as US President Donald Trump is in the region, on his first visit to Asia of his second term, and as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to also begin a multi-country Asian tour.

Earlier this year, two US warplanes fell off the US Navy’s Harry S Truman aircraft carrier while operating in the Middle East.

Opinion

Editorial

Climate choices
Updated 15 Jun, 2026

Climate choices

The country is confronting increasingly volatile weather patterns with consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, public health and economic planning.
Brief opening
15 Jun, 2026

Brief opening

WE have been here before. Throughout the weekend, there was great anticipation that a tentative framework for peace...
Environmental disaster
15 Jun, 2026

Environmental disaster

IT was a heartbreaking sight. A recent news report in these pages carried a picture of a sea turtle lying half ...
Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...