A pilot attached to the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson ejected from a jet during flight operations in the Celebes Sea but was apparently uninjured, Navy officials said. The pilot of the F/A-18E assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 was on final approach to the Carl Vinson when the mishap occurred.
A helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 4 aboard USS Carl Vinson recovered the pilot shortly afterward. Navy officials said the incident remained under investigation. The pilot was assessed by the medical team aboard the Carl Vinson, but appeared to be unhurt. The USS Carl Vinson Strike Group left San Diego Jan. 5.
Earlier this month, the ships were diverted while en route from Singapore to Australia and ordered to sail north and report to a station in the Western Pacific Ocean in closer proximity to North Korea, according to Navy officials.
The Carl Vinson Strike Group includes the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, embarked Carrier Air Wing 2, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain.
Photo Courtesy of US Navy