Story perspectives

Navy Investigates Arresting Gear Failure After Growler Ejections

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 10:57 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Two U.S. Navy aviators ejected from an E/A-18G Growler on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 28, 2026.
An arresting-gear failure is being investigated as the cause of the mishap.
Four shipboard sailors were injured.
One sailor was evacuated to a Norfolk-area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Rescue teams retrieved both aviators and took them aboard for medical evaluation.

History

Historical Context

Carrier-based jet mishaps have long troubled the Navy; a Marine Corps F-18 Hornet fell off Charleston in March 1996 and several F-14 crashes that year triggered safety stand-downs. The 15 March 2005 F/A-18 crash on USS Nimitz and the 28 September 2026 EA-18G incident on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Naval Air Systems Command to fund upgraded arresting-gear, which on U.S. carriers typically uses four wires.

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Story summary

Two U.S. Navy aviators ejected from an E/A-18G Growler on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 28, 2026.
An arresting-gear failure is being investigated as the cause of the mishap.
Four shipboard sailors were injured.
One sailor was evacuated to a Norfolk-area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Rescue teams retrieved both aviators and took them aboard for medical evaluation.

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