8 sailors aboard Eisenhower injured in flight deck mishap
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Eight Sailors on board USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) were injured in a mishap on the carrier Friday afternoon.
According to an official from the U.S. Navy, the Sailors were working on the flight deck when an arresting gear parted during a routine landing of an E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.
Navy helicopters brought four of the patients to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and two to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. The other two injured Sailors were treated on board the ship.
The Norfolk-based aircraft carrier left yesterday for a month-long training exercise in preparation for an upcoming deployment, so they weren’t that far off shore. This information is coming from Navy Public Affairs Officer Mike Kafka. He said all the patients are in stable condition; there were no fatalities.
Initial reports show the Hawkeye involved in the mishap was not damaged and no one on board was hurt. The aircraft returned safely to its base at Norfolk Naval Station Chamber Field.
Reporter Liz Palka with WISH-TV’s sister station WAVY, who is at Sentara Norfolk General, says she saw several patients brought in to the hospital on stretchers. Palka is working to gather information on the extent of injuries and exactly what happened.
he Navy says it is in the process of notifying family members. They will not release the names of the injured personnel.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is comprised of aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, guided-missile cruisers USS San Jacinto (CG 56) and USS Monterey (CG 61), and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26 with its associated ships: USS Stout (DDG 55), USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Nitze (DDG 94).
The Ike is currenlty off the Virginia coast for Composite Training Unit and Joint Task Force Exercises (COMPTUEX/JTFEX). IKE CSG is scheduled to deploy this summer.