Navy Helicopter, Fighter Jet Go Down in South China Sea

All crewmembers were rescued.

Zach Vasile

Monday, October 27, 2025 at 11:46 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

An MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, from the 'Battlecats' of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) on May 17, 2022. [Courtesy: U.S. Navy]

Key Takeaways:

Two U.S. Navy aircraft—an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet—crashed into the South China Sea from the USS Nimitz within 30 minutes of each other during routine operations.
All five crewmembers from both incidents were safely rescued and are reported to be in stable condition.
The cause of both crashes is currently under investigation.
These incidents occurred as the USS Nimitz was returning from a Middle East deployment and follow several recent F/A-18 mishaps involving another U.S. carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman.

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Two U.S. Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea about 30 minutes apart on Sunday while conducting “routine operations” from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

In a statement, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 went down around 2:45 p.m. local time. All three crewmembers were rescued and are “safe and in stable condition.”