U.S. navy loses 2 aircraft from USS Nimitz within 30 minutes

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WASHINGTON – A fighter jet and a helicopter based on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other on Sunday afternoon, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said.

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Three crew members from the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued, while two aviators from the F/A-18F Super Hornet ejected and were safely recovered, and all five “are safe and in stable condition,” the Navy said in a statement.

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The causes of the two crashes are under investigation, the statement said.

The USS Nimitz is returning to its home port at Naval Station Kitsap in Washington state after being stationed in the Middle East for much of the summer as part of the U.S. response to attacks on commercial shipping by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The aircraft carrier is in the final stages of deployment before being decommissioned.

Another aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman, has suffered a series of setbacks during its deployment to the Middle East in recent months.

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In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 from the Truman.

Then, in April, another F/A-18 fighter slid off the Truman hangar and fell into the Red Sea.

And in May, an F/A fighter landing on an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea fell overboard after apparently failing to grab onto steel cables used to stop landing planes, forcing two pilots to eject.

No sailor was killed in any of these incidents. The results of the investigation into these incidents have not yet been made public.

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