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.

Editorial

Updated 08 Aug, 2026

Danger ahead

PAKISTAN has already paid a heavy human price this monsoon, even as another dangerous spell approaches. NDMA figures...
08 Aug, 2026

Israeli impunity

ANY hope that Hamas’s decision to disarm would lead to a breakthrough has been dashed for one simple reason:...
Updated 08 Aug, 2026

Flawed investigations

An inaccurate record of a victim’s wounds hinders the dispensation of justice. Medical examiners in such a critical area cannot cut corners.
07 Aug, 2026

Terrorist havens

DESPITE the use of both carrots and sticks by the international community, the Afghan Taliban refuse to cut their...
Updated 07 Aug, 2026

Mineral wealth

Any future agreements involving critical minerals must be subjected to rigorous legal, financial and technical scrutiny.
07 Aug, 2026

Growth denied

THE Sindh government’s agreement with the World Bank to combine health, nutrition, sanitation, social protection...