A United States Navy pilot and sailor had to be hospitalized after sustaining injuries after their F/A-18C Hornet caught on fire aboard the USS Harry S. Truman Tuesday night. The blaze started when the jet was being refueled.
The pilot ejected from the one-seater jet and landed on the carrier’s deck. According to the Navy, his injuries are not life threatening. No details have yet surfaced as to how the sailor was hurt.
The carrier was cruising the deep blue sea just off the coast of Virginia (it’s part of Strike Fighter Squadron 106 “The Gladiators” which is based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach) at the time.
The vessel’s firefighting team quickly extinguished the flames.
More from NewsChannel 3 out of Hampton Roads, Va.:
Both were transported to New Hanover Medical Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina for treatment.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Commander Mike Kafka tells NewsChannel 3 crews are still assessing the extent of the damage, but believe it was primarily to the jet.
The carrier is taking an “operational pause” from flight operations Wednesday as a result of the fire, according to CDR Kafka.
Here’s a video of (successful) landings taken from the carrier back in 2013: