Two Navy aircraft based in Hampton Roads were damaged in a mishap aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln earlier this month, according to the Naval Safety Center.
The incident occurred August 9 in the Arabian Sea when an E-2D Hawkeye from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121, based at Naval Station Norfolk, aborted an arrested landing while the aircraft carrier was conducting flight operations, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, spokesman for the Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The Hawkeye struck two aircraft and debris from the impact hit two others, causing minor damage. The aircraft involved include an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 103, based at Naval Air Station Oceana, as well as two F/A-18E Super Hornets based in Lemoore, Calif, said Jeff Jones, deputy director of safety promotions at the Naval Safety Center. An E/A-18G Growler from Whidbey Island, Wash., was also damaged.
No one was injured and the Hawkeye, which conducts surveillance, diverted and landed safely, Frey said.
The incident is being investigated and the cost of damage has not yet been determined, Jones said. The Navy has classified the incident as a “class A” mishap, meaning more than $2 million in damages and/or fatality or permanent disability.
Frey said the aircraft were being repaired.
The Abraham Lincoln deployed from Norfolk in April and was sent to the Middle East in May as a show of force against the Iranian regime amid escalating tensions. The deployment is expected to end in a homeport shift to San Diego.
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