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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider US Navy chopper, fighter jet crash in South China Sea

US Navy chopper, fighter jet crash in South China Sea

Published Oct 27, 2025 04:18 pm
An MH-60R Sea Hawk on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan as USS Mustin steams alongside in the South China Sea on Thursday, July 9, 2020. (Erica Bechard/AP File Photo)
An MH-60R Sea Hawk on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan as USS Mustin steams alongside in the South China Sea on Thursday, July 9, 2020. (Erica Bechard/AP File Photo)
A helicopter and fighter jet of the United States Pacific Fleet crashed in the South China Sea on separate occasions on Sunday, Oct. 26.
A post on X (formerly Twitter) by the US Pacific Fleet on Monday, Oct. 27, said that the US Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter “went down” in the South China Sea waters at 2:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., respectively.
Both vessels were “conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68)” when the crash happened, the post read.
“All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation,” the US Pacific Fleet assured.
The post did not say where exactly the crash happened—whether it’s inside the West Philippine Sea, the part of the region claimed by the Philippines, or outside of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“We defer to NMC (National Maritime Council) and security agencies on operational matters,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said when asked about the matter.
This twin mishap follows the incident when the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down an F/A-18 jet from the USS Harry S. Truman in December, while another F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the Truman’s hangar deck and fell into the Red Sea in April.
In May, another F/A fighter jet landed on the carrier in the Red Sea and went overboard.
No crew was killed in any of these incidents, and results of the investigation have not been released.

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