President Donald Trump stated that the United States doesn’t believe foul play was involved in two separate plane crashes of U.S. Navy aircraft that occurred in the South China Sea over the weekend.
While speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump expressed hope for prompt answers concerning the incidents. He mentioned that one possibility being considered is the quality of the fuel used in the aircraft.
A reporter inquired, “Nimitz, have you been briefed on the incident, both the fighter jet and the helicopter?” To which Trump replied, “I’ve heard about that.”
“What do you think happened?” the reporter pressed.
Trump responded, “They’ll let me know right away. I think they’ll know. It could be bad fuel. I mean, it could be bad fuel. It’s very unusual for something like that to happen.”
Another reporter asked, “Do you think there was no foul play or anything?” Trump answered, “No, it’s not. They think it might be bad fuel.”
On Sunday, two U.S. naval aircraft—a Seahawk helicopter from the USS Nimitz and an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet—crashed during separate routine operations over the South China Sea. Thankfully, all five crew members involved were rescued and are reported to be in stable condition.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet noted on X that at around 2:54 p.m. local time, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 experienced an incident while conducting operations from the carrier USS Nimitz. A search and rescue team from Carrier Strike Group 11, which was operating alongside the Nimitz, quickly commenced recovery operations, successfully retrieving all three crew members from the water.
Then, roughly half an hour later, an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Nimitz’s 22nd Strike Fighter Squadron also crashed in the South China Sea during its flight. Rescue teams were again swift in their response and managed to rescue the two crew members, who had successfully ejected before the plane impacted the water.
The USS Nimitz has been a significant part of the U.S. Navy for 50 years and is about to complete its final tour before retirement.
