U.S.

Two U.S. Navy Planes Crash in the Pacific Ocean

One pilot is missing after the planes collided over the Western Pacific.

By David Ludwig
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Two U.S. Navy fighter jets crashed into the western Pacific Ocean on Friday after a midair collision. One pilot survived and was rescued, but the other is still missing.

The incident occurred at 5 :40 p.m. local time after the two F/A-18 Hornets took off from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which is providing security in Indo-Asia-Pacific region, the Navy said.  One of the pilots was quickly rescued and brought back to the carrier for treatment. The Navy has deployed war ships and helicopters in a search for the second pilot.

The two fighter jets, which cost about $57 million each, have not been recovered.

The USS Carl Vinson and its group were on their way to the Persian Gulf to relieve the USS George HW Bush, which has been participating in raids on ISIS in Iraq.

The Carl Vinson is also the same aircraft carrier from which the body of Osama Bin Laden was dumped into the ocean after the U.S. raid on his compound in 2011.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.