Yesterday, an F/A-18 Super Hornet and, separately, an MH-60 Sea Hawk (Navy version of Black Hawk) helicopter, went down in the South China Sea. The coincidence is disturbing, but the reality is that a miracle happened. All five crew members were rescued and are all in stable condition.
To some, the dangers associated with flying fighters off a carrier deck, rotor wing aircraft in any weather, keeping operational readiness above 80 percent, ready 24-7-365 may seem easy. It is not.
Whatever the cause of the two accidents, and hostile fire was not a cause, the fact that all crew members could be swiftly retrieved from heaving seas, with no casualties, is a testament to the Navy.
Both airframes originated on the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, first in her class, commissioned in 1975, 50 years ago last June. Having stood on that carrier’s “vulture deck” and watched deck landings, F/A 18s hitting one of four wires, going to full power if they missed, the whole enterprise is one of exceptional training, performance, confidence, and pride.
The US has 11 active nuclear “supercarriers,” the largest warships in the world. Ten are Nimitz class, one is Ford class, first in a new class. China has two carriers, with a third undergoing sea trials. Russia does not have any operational carriers.
The miracle that happened has multiple parts. First, ejection from the F/A 18, for which pilots go through extensive egress training, is itself a minor miracle. Ejection survival at higher altitudes is 4 in 5, at lower altitudes, 1 in 2.
Helicopter crash survival at sea is also dicey; four in five with 15 seconds’ warning, better with more warning, but never easy.
Then there is launch and recovery, and launch and recovery for two airframes, aircrews, five aviators, and simultaneously.
Having managed an airwing of 250 airframes (State INL), flying in dangerous circumstances, often in Black Hawks and fixed wings, the need for superb training to match superb equipment is high. That the carrier swiftly deployed, secured, and returned, with no casualties, is a testament.
That said, the underlying question – as in medical science – is why this happened. If two events occurred at the same time, was there a common factor? If the weather was an issue, training, shared equipment, or a technical issue that needs to be swiftly addressed. If something else, same thing.
Many – but not all – aviation mishaps occur at speed. While overall military mishaps and fatalities are small, perhaps a dozen a year are “Class A” mishaps, serious enough to produce a fatality.
Concerning readiness, FY2024 – Biden’s last budget year – saw the most “Class A” mishaps afloat in a decade. Current leadership, in an about-face, has tightened standards, training, and outcomes.
While numbers are elusive, and every operating environment, airframe, pilot, and mishap is different, all subject to extensive review, the 20,000-foot view is: A miracle happened here.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, Maine attorney, ten-year naval intelligence officer (USNR), and 25-year businessman. He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (North Country Press, 2018), and “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024). He is the National Spokesman for AMAC. Today, he is running to be Maine’s next Governor (please visit BobbyforMaine.com to learn more)!
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