It sounds like a bad joke or a scene from a high-budget action flick. You have a $60 million supersonic jet, a masterpiece of engineering, and it just... slides into the drink. But in July 2022, that’s exactly what happened when an F-18 falls off aircraft carrier deck and sinks into the Mediterranean Sea. Specifically, it was an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1, sitting on the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman.
The weather was nasty. Unexpectedly nasty. We aren't talking about a light drizzle; we’re talking about "unexpected heavy weather" as the Navy officially put it. One minute the jet is parked, secured (or so everyone thought), and the next, it’s bobbing in the wake before vanishing 9,500 feet down.
Honestly, people assume these planes are bolted down. They aren't. They’re held by heavy-duty chains, but even the best steel has a breaking point when a 100,000-ton carrier pitches in a storm. It’s a nightmare scenario for the Navy. Not just because of the price tag, but because of what’s inside that jet. You can't just leave a Super Hornet at the bottom of the ocean for anyone with a deep-sea submersible to find.
The Mediterranean Incident: What Actually Went Wrong
Most people think a pilot made a mistake. That wasn't the case here. In the 2022 Truman incident, the plane was unmanned. It was "blown overboard" due to a sudden, intense gust of wind and sea state changes. When an F-18 falls off aircraft carrier in this fashion, it triggers a massive logistical headache that most civilians can’t even wrap their heads around.
Think about the physics. A Super Hornet weighs about 32,000 pounds empty. With fuel and gear, it’s much heavier. To move that much mass off a flat deck requires incredible force. The Navy's investigation basically pointed to a "microburst" or a sudden shift in wind that caught the airframe like a sail.
It’s rare. Very rare.
But it’s happened before. Back in 1995, an F-14 Tomcat was blown off the deck of the USS Independence. The ocean is an unforgiving workplace. If you’ve ever walked on a sidewalk during a gale, you know it’s hard to stay upright. Now imagine that on a wet, greasy steel deck that’s tilting fifteen degrees while 70-knot winds are screaming past.
The Race to the Bottom
Once the jet is gone, the clock starts ticking. The biggest fear isn't just the loss of the airframe; it’s the technology. We’re talking about radar systems, communication encryption, and maybe even sensor suites that foreign adversaries would love to get their hands on.
When that F-18 hit the water near the Mediterranean, the Navy didn't just shrug it off. They sent the Everest. Well, the CURV-21, actually.
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The Recovery Mission
The recovery of the Truman’s F/A-18 was a masterclass in deep-sea salvage. They used a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to descend nearly two miles. Imagine trying to find a needle in a haystack, but the haystack is pitch black, freezing, and under enough pressure to crush a submarine.
- Location: The Mediterranean Sea.
- Depth: 9,500 feet.
- Asset: The CURV-21 ROV.
- The Lift: A specialized rigging system attached to the jet's frame.
They eventually hooked it and hauled it up using a heavy-lift crane on a specialized offshore construction vessel called the Everest. It’s a slow process. You can’t just yank it up. The water trapped inside the airframe adds immense weight, and if the rigging snaps, you lose the jet—and probably the ROV—forever.
Why We Don't Just Leave It There
You might wonder why we spend millions to recover a "totaled" jet. It’s not like they’re going to hosing it off and fly it again. Saltwater is a death sentence for avionics and airframes.
The reality is about OPSEC (Operations Security).
If a Russian or Chinese "research vessel" happened to be in the area and "accidentally" snagged a piece of that F-18, they’d gain insights into our electronic warfare capabilities. It’s the same reason the US went to extreme lengths to recover an F-35C that went over the side of the USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea earlier that same year.
That F-35 incident was even more dramatic. It wasn't blown off; it was a "ramp strike." The pilot ejected, the plane hit the deck and slid into the Pacific. When an F-18 falls off aircraft carrier or an F-35 does the same, it becomes a race against time and espionage.
Life on the Flight Deck: A Controlled Chaos
To understand how a plane can just slide off, you have to look at how they are stored.
On a carrier, space is at a premium. Planes are parked inches apart. They are secured with "tie-down" chains. Usually, it's 6, 9, or 12 chains depending on the expected weather. But "expected" is the keyword. The ocean doesn't always follow the forecast.
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When the Truman incident happened, the ship was reportedly in the middle of a replenishment at sea. That means they were busy. They were taking on supplies. Then the weather turned.
People think the Navy is this perfect machine. It’s not. It’s run by humans. Sometimes the weather hits faster than the crew can double-up the chains. Sometimes a chain link has a microscopic fracture. Sometimes the wind just hits the perfect angle to lift the wing and pivot the whole bird right over the safety netting.
The "safety netting" by the way? It’s meant to catch people, not 30,000-pound fighter jets.
The Cost of a "Whoops"
Let's talk numbers. A modern F/A-18E/F Super Hornet costs somewhere between $66 million and $70 million.
The recovery mission? Probably another $5 million to $10 million.
Then there’s the loss of readiness. A carrier air wing is a balanced ecosystem. You lose one jet, and suddenly your mission capabilities are dinged. It’s a massive blow to the taxpayer and the Department of Defense. But the alternative—letting an adversary study our tech—is infinitely more expensive in the long run.
Misconceptions About These Accidents
- "They just sink like rocks." Actually, depending on the fuel load and how they hit, they can bob for a minute. But eventually, the cockpit or the intakes fill up, and down they go.
- "The pilot is always to blame." In the Truman case, no pilot was even in the cockpit.
- "It happens all the time." It really doesn't. Considering thousands of launches and recoveries happen every year, the percentage of planes lost to "falling off" is incredibly low.
What Happens to the Plane After Recovery?
After they hauled the Truman F-18 out of the Mediterranean, it didn't go back to the flight line. It went to a facility for a "mishap investigation."
Experts look at the tie-down points. They look at the chains. They check the flight data recorder (the "black box") to see what the wind sensors were reading at the exact moment of the slide. Then, usually, the plane is stripped for any usable non-electronic parts and scrapped. The salt has likely corroded the internal structures to a point where the metal is brittle and unsafe for high-G maneuvers.
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Basically, it becomes a very expensive piece of yard art or gets melted down into soda cans.
Lessons Learned from the Deep
The Navy is obsessed with "lessons learned." After the F-18 falls off aircraft carrier incident, they changed how they monitor localized weather patterns during replenishment. They also looked at the tie-down requirements for parked aircraft when the ship isn't in "flight quarters."
It's about layers of safety. If one layer fails (the forecast), the next layer (the chains) has to hold. If that fails, the third layer (the recovery) kicks in.
Actionable Insights for Naval Enthusiasts and Researchers
If you are following these types of incidents, there are a few things you should keep an eye on to stay informed:
- Monitor the USNI News (United States Naval Institute): They are usually the first to get the unclassified "mishap" reports. These reports are dry but filled with the "why" behind the accident.
- Watch the NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command) Bulletins: When an incident like this happens, NAVAIR often issues new directives on how aircraft must be secured. It's a goldmine for understanding the technical side.
- Track Salvage Operations: The Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) handles these recoveries. Their public records show the incredible tech used to reach these depths.
The 2022 incident was a fluke, a "black swan" event of weather and timing. But it serves as a stark reminder that even on a massive nuclear-powered city like the USS Harry S. Truman, the ocean is still the boss. You can have the best tech in the world, but if the wind blows hard enough at the wrong time, $67 million of American airpower is going for a swim.
The next time you see a carrier in port, look at those tiny chains holding the jets down. They’re the only thing standing between a parked jet and a multi-million dollar salvage operation.
To stay ahead of naval aviation news, focus on tracking carrier deployment cycles. Most "mishaps" occur during high-tempo operations or during the "work-up" phase before a major deployment. Understanding the operational tempo of a specific Strike Group can give you a lot of context as to why these rare accidents occur when they do. Check the official Navy JAG (Judge Advocate General) Manual investigations if you want the full, unfiltered truth behind why an aircraft ended up at the bottom of the sea; these are often released months or years after the fact under FOIA requests.