Story perspectives

Navy Recovers Two Aviators After Ejection Aboard USS Eisenhower

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 12:07 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Navy recovered two aviators who ejected from an aircraft aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The mishap at about 6:18 p.m. EDT on September 28 injured four personnel, one taken to a Norfolk-area hospital.
The two aviators were evaluated by the carrier’s ship medical staff.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class carrier, kept operating while the Navy investigates without naming the aircraft type or cause.

History

Historical Context

On 29 July 1967 a Zuni rocket misfire ignited fuel on USS Forrestal, killing 134 sailors, injuring 161 and causing $72 million damage. The disaster forced the Navy to overhaul carrier firefighting, add deck wash-down systems and establish the Farrier Firefighting School. Those reforms guide today’s rapid rescue of two aviators during a training sortie from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1 of 2

Story summary

U.S. Navy recovered two aviators who ejected from an aircraft aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The mishap at about 6:18 p.m. EDT on September 28 injured four personnel, one taken to a Norfolk-area hospital.
The two aviators were evaluated by the carrier’s ship medical staff.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Nimitz-class carrier, kept operating while the Navy investigates without naming the aircraft type or cause.

1 / 2