Full Breakdown
Carrier Landing Mishap Injures Sailors and Forces Aviators to Eject
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On Monday, September 28, a landing mishap occurred aboard the nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) off the Virginia coast at approximately 6:18 p.m. EDT. Two Navy aviators assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3 were forced to eject from their aircraft during recovery operations. Both aviators were rescued by search-and-rescue personnel, returned to the ship, and placed under medical evaluation. Four shipboard personnel were also injured; one sailor was evacuated to a Norfolk-area hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, while the remaining three received treatment aboard the carrier.
Background & Context
The Eisenhower, commissioned in 1977, serves as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 2. After a nine-month deployment that ended on July 15, 2024—during which the carrier engaged Iran-backed Houthi forces in the Red Sea—the ship entered a 16-month Planned Incremental Availability that concluded in April 2026. Since early September 2026 the carrier has been conducting carrier qualifications and other work-up activities in the Atlantic as it prepares for a projected 2027 deployment.
Data & Statistics
- Time of mishap: ? 6:18 p.m. EDT, September 28, 2026
- Personnel affected: 2 aviators (ejected, medically evaluated), 4 sailors (injured; 1 evacuated)
- Aircraft type: Not identified in most Navy statements; a separate report attributes the aircraft to an EA-18G Growler electronic-attack jet.
- Carrier details: Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered, commissioned 1977, home-ported Norfolk, Virginia.
Official Statements & Responses
The U.S. The statement added that the cause of the mishap is under investigation and that updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.
Verbatim Quotes
- “When you pull that handle, you have two choices: die or maybe live. And I said, 'maybe live' because it's incredibly violent,” — Matthew “Whiz” Buckley, former TOPGUN pilot.
What’s Next
The Navy has pledged to release further details as the investigation proceeds. Ongoing carrier qualifications and the ship’s preparation for a 2027 deployment suggest that operational activities will continue while the mishap is reviewed.