Mishap On Aircraft Carrier Eisenhower Leaves Four Injured, US Navy Confirms

Four U.S. service members were injured in a landing "mishap" on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower off the coast of Virginia on Monday, the U.S. Navy said.

It said the incident occurred aboard the carrier at around 6:18 p.m. EDT during "aircraft recovery operations."

Two aviators ejected from their aircraft and were "promptly recovered by search-and-rescue personnel," the Navy said in a statement.

The service did not specify the type of aircraft involved but said the personnel were part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3.

Both aviators were safely returned to the ship but four people aboard the Eisenhower were injured and have received medical attention, the military said. One sailor was taken to a hospital near Norfolk, Virginia, for treatment, but their injuries were not life-threatening, the Navy added.

The U.S. military uses the term "mishap" to refer to a range of scenarios in which personnel are killed or injured, or equipment is damaged.

The aircraft involved in Monday's incident was a two-seater design, specialist outlet USNI News reported. But CVW 3 operates the F/A-18F Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler—a specialized electronic warfare plane based on the Super Hornet, so either could have been the aircraft in question.

The Eisenhower is the Navy's second-oldest aircraft carrier still in operation, after the USS Nimitz.

Commissioned in 1977, the Eisenhower returned to the fleet in April following extensive maintenance and modernization work intended to extend its service life.

Before these upgrades, the Eisenhower was deployed to the Red Sea for U.S.-led missions against Yemen-based Houthi militants.

The Eisenhower is the flagship for Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2, which includes the warships and other forces assigned to operate with the carrier, like guided-missile cruisers and destroyers.

The U.S. military hasn't confirmed when the Eisenhower's next deployment will be, but has said CSG 2 will head back out to sea in 2027.

CVW-3 is described by the U.S. military as one of the Navy's oldest air wings, dating back to 1938. Colloquially known as "Battle Axe," the wing was deployed to the Pacific during World War II and in a range of U.S. military operations in the decades since, like the Iraq War.

Carrier air wings like CVW-3 are essentially the air forces assigned to an aircraft carrier.

They comprise squadrons with different missions, including strike operations, helicopter support and electronic warfare, such as disrupting enemy communications.

In total, roughly 70 aircraft can be deployed on an aircraft carrier.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.