Two Navy aviators were forced to eject from their aircraft during a landing attempt on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off the Virginia coast Monday evening, according to U.S. military officials. The incident also left four sailors aboard the carrier injured, one of whom required hospitalization.
The mishap occurred at approximately 6:18 p.m. EDT while the carrier was conducting routine aircraft recovery operations, the Navy said in a statement. Both aviators, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3, were quickly retrieved by search-and-rescue teams and returned to the ship for medical evaluation.
“Both aviators were safely returned to the ship and are being evaluated by medical personnel,” the Navy confirmed. The four injured sailors were treated aboard the Eisenhower, with one transported to a hospital in the Norfolk, Virginia, area for what the service described as “non-life-threatening injuries.”
The Eisenhower is a Nimitz-class carrier and serves as the flagship for Carrier Strike Group 2, commanded by Rear Adm. P. Scott Miller. The ship is designed for a broad range of missions, including maritime security, power projection, forward naval presence, crisis response, and sea control. It has been a central asset in U.S. naval operations for decades.
Commissioned in 1977, the Eisenhower was the second vessel in the Nimitz class and is named after the 34th president. Its home port is Norfolk, and it has seen extensive service, including deployments during the Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The incident comes as the Navy continues to manage a high operational tempo. Another Nimitz-class carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, departed San Diego on Sunday to relieve the USS George Washington in the Middle East, underscoring the ongoing demands on the carrier fleet.
The mishap also occurs against the backdrop of the U.S. military campaign against Iran, which reached the seven-month mark on Monday. President Trump reiterated his position that Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” and suggested that gasoline prices would drop once the conflict ends.
“I went to war to stop … one of the worst things that could happen to the world,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. His administration has continued to signal a willingness to engage in further talks while also leaving the door open for additional strikes, as noted in recent diplomatic maneuvers.
The Navy has not yet released the identities of the aviators or the cause of the ejection. An investigation into the mishap is expected to be launched, following standard procedures for such incidents.
