According to the U.S. Navy, eight sailors on the USS Eisenhower were injured today in an accident as an aircraft attempted to land aboard the ship.
Initial reports are indicating the arresting gear strung across the flight deck experienced a catastrophic failure when the tailhook of an Northrop-Grumman E-2C Hawkeye engaged it, says the Navy in a statement. Thankfully, there were no fatalities and the affected sailors are listed in stable condition, and no life-threatening injuries were reported.
That is fantastic news, as such a failure has caused fatalities in the past. Yet more proof the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is one of the most dangerous workplaces on the planet!
The Navy has also indicated it will not be releasing the names of the sailors involved.
As for the Hawkeye, the pilots were able to get airborne safely and turn to their home base of Norfolk Naval Station Chambers Field. Reports coming from there say the Hawkeye was not damaged and none of the aircrew aboard were injured in the incident.
Navy officials informed the media the ship temporarily disabled email and ship-to-shore communications, pending completion of family notifications. Once that was done, comms were reinstated.
The Mighty Ike is currently conducting carrier qualifications for an upcoming deployment. Flight operations will resume once repairs are complete and the investigation has concluded.
We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.
(Featured photo courtesy of U.S. Navy/Lt. j.g. John A. Ivancic)