Navy aviators eject after carrier mishap on USS Eisenhower

Two Naval Aviators ejected from their aircraft after a recovery mishap aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the U.S. Navy said. Search and rescue forces recovered both promptly and returned them to the ship for medical evaluation.

The mishap occurred at about 6:18 p.m. EDT on Sept. 28, 2026, while the Nimitz-class carrier was sailing off the coast of Virginia. Four shipboard personnel were also injured and are receiving medical care. One sailor is being evacuated to a Norfolk-area hospital for treatment of injuries the Navy described as non-life-threatening.

The aviators were assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3. The Navy did not release details about the aircraft involved, including whether it went overboard or remained on the deck. According to USNI News, the Eisenhower had left Naval Station Norfolk earlier that afternoon for a carrier qualifications campaign.

The carrier air wing operates one squadron of twin-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets, Strike Fighter Squadron 32, and one squadron of EA-18G Growlers, Electronic Attack Squadron 130, the only two types of twin-seater aircraft currently in service with Carrier Air Wings. The source did not identify which aircraft was involved.