2 U.S. aviators eject landing plane on carrier off Virginia and 4 sailors hurt

Washington — Two U.S. Navy aviators ejected as they were landing their plane on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia Monday evening and four sailors aboard the vessel were injured in what the Navy characterized as a “mishap.”

The two aviators, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 3, successfully ejected as “a mishap occurred during aircraft recovery operations” and were “promptly” rescued by search and rescue personnel, the Navy said in a short statement.

Both were returned to the ship and were being evaluated by medical personnel, the Navy said. The four shipboard personnel also were receiving medical care, including one who was transported to a hospital in the Norfolk, Virginia, area for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The Navy didn’t say which type of two-seater plane was involved in the accident or what happened to the plane or what might have caused the accident. The Navy didn’t immediately answer a request for further details.

“Carrier crews regularly train for emergencies and unexpected situations during flight operations, and that training enabled the crew to respond quickly and safely,” the Navy said.

The nuclear-powered Nimitz-class USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was commissioned in 1977.