Two aviators eject, four injured in USS Eisenhower aircraft mishap

Two aviators ejected from their aircraft during a mishap aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) off the coast of Virginia on September 28, 2026. Four shipboard personnel were also injured, the US Navy said.

According to a US Navy statement, the mishap occurred at approximately 18:18 local time during aircraft recovery operations, when aircraft land back aboard the carrier. The two aviators, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW-3), ejected and were subsequently recovered by search and rescue personnel. 

Both aviators were returned to the ship and were being evaluated by medical personnel at the time of the statement. Four shipboard personnel were also receiving medical care, with one sailor transported to a hospital in the Norfolk area for injuries the US Navy described as non-life-threatening. 

Mishap likely involved two-seat Super Hornet or Growler 

The US Navy did not identify the aircraft type or its squadron, and did not say whether the aircraft was lost. 

However, the fact that two aviators ejected significantly narrows the possibilities within Carrier Air Wing 3. Its two-seat, ejection-seat-equipped carrier aircraft include the F/A-18F Super Hornet flown by Strike Fighter Squadron 32 (VFA-32) and the EA-18G Growler operated by Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130). The air wing’s F/A-18E Super Hornets are single-seat aircraft. 

The Navy gave no indication of what caused the mishap or how the four shipboard personnel were injured. 

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Eisenhower returned to sea after 15-month maintenance period 

Flight deck crew carry arresting gear components aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. (Credit: U.S. Navy photo)The carrier returned to sea in April 2026 after a 15-month Planned Incremental Availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. 

The US Navy ship completed sea trials on April 24, 2026, following work on its combat systems, propulsion plant and habitability spaces. 

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The maintenance period followed Eisenhower’s 2023 and 2024 deployment to the Red Sea in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian. During that deployment, Houthi forces claimed in May 2024 to have fired missiles at the ship. The post Two aviators eject, four injured in USS Eisenhower aircraft mishap appeared first on AeroTime.

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