Brief

Two Navy aviators eject during carrier landing off Virginia, four sailors hurt

The incident occurred during aircraft recovery operations on the Nimitz‑class carrier on Monday evening.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 29 Sep 2026 10:02:07 GMT

Two U. S. Navy aviators ejected while attempting to land their aircraft on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off the coast of Virginia on Monday evening, and four sailors aboard the carrier were injured, the Navy said in a brief statement. The aviators, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3, were rescued by search and rescue personnel and later returned to the ship for medical evaluation. Four shipboard personnel received medical care, one of whom was transported to a hospital in Norfolk for non‑life‑threatening injuries.

The Navy described the incident as a “mishap” that occurred during aircraft recovery operations. It did not disclose the type of two‑seater aircraft involved or the cause of the accident. Carrier crews routinely train for emergencies, the Navy added, and that training enabled a quick and safe response.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear‑powered Nimitz‑class carrier commissioned in 1977, has been operating in the Atlantic since the start of the year. The mishap adds to a series of incidents involving U.S. naval aviation in recent weeks, including a separate incident involving a carrier crew in the Middle East that drew attention to crew morale and operational stress.

Key facts

Two aviators ejected during landing on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (winnipegfreepress.com)
Four sailors aboard the carrier were injured (winnipegfreepress.com)
The Navy called the incident a "mishap" (cbsnews.com)
The aviators were rescued by search and rescue personnel (cbsnews.com)
One sailor was transported to a Norfolk hospital (cbsnews.com)

Background

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is a Nimitz‑class carrier that has been active in the Atlantic since early 2026. Earlier in the month, the U.S. Navy faced scrutiny over crew conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln during a record‑length deployment, highlighting ongoing concerns about sailor welfare during extended operations.