The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returned home Monday after an aviation accident left eight sailors injured.
The ship pulled into Norfolk, Virginia, a week after naval aviators landing an E/A-18G Growler were forced to eject when the plane’s arresting gear failed.
The cause of the mishap is under investigation.
Search-and-rescue personnel from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 7 recovered the aviators from the ocean and returned them to the ship before they were flown off to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth for further medical evaluation.
Six other shipboard personnel were injured during the incident.
One sailor was medically evacuated from the ship to receive further treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at a Norfolk, Virginia, facility.
Another two sailors were flown to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth.
The Navy told Military Times that the E/A-18G Growler that went overboard has not been recovered from the ocean.
The Navy’s investigation will recommend whether the service should salvage the aircraft.
The Eisenhower returned on July 15, 2024, from a nine-month deployment, during which it battled Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea.
The ship finished up sea trials in April as part of its planned incremental availability and was conducting carrier qualifications in the Atlantic at the time of the incident.
Riley Ceder is a Navy reporter at Military Times, where he covers issues directly affecting service members and their families, as well as breaking news.
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