--- title: "USS Harry Truman Was Evading Houthi Attack When F/A-18 Super Hornet Rolled Off Its Deck" description: "The F/A-18E's loss is the latest in a string of incidents to befall the Truman, including a collision and friendly fire shootdown, as combat ops grind on." date: "2025-04-28" modified: "2025-04-28" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/news-features/f-a-18e-super-hornet-slides-off-deck-while-uss-harry-truman-was-evading-houthi-attack" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "Carriers" - "Middle East" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Nimitz Class" - "Red Sea" - "Sea" - "U.S. Navy" - "USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)" --- # USS Harry Truman Was Evading Houthi Attack When F/A-18 Super Hornet Rolled Off Its Deck ![]() *A stock picture of the USS Harry S. Truman making a hard turn during post maintenance sea trials. USN/MC3 Kristina Young* A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter fell off the side of the aircraft carrier [USS *Harry S. Truman*]() while the ship was conducting evasive maneuvers in response to incoming Houthi threats earlier today, a U.S. official has told *TWZ*. A tow tractor that had been moving the aircraft at the time also went over the side in the incident, in which thankfully only a single sailor suffered minor injuries. *CNN*'s Natasha Bertrand [was first to report]() that the *Truman* making a hard turn in response to incoming Houthi fire may have been a contributing factor in the incident, citing an unnamed U.S. official. *Military.com*'s Konstantin Toropin also subsequently reported this detail, again citing an anonymous U.S. official. https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1916933113026150862 https://twitter.com/KToropin/status/1916942572854923339 Navy supercarriers like *Truman* are capable of making very sharp and high-speed turns for ships of their size, including an evasive tactic, as seen in the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtkpDV6Gq0c A [full statement]() on today's incident from the Office of the Navy Chief of Information (CHINFO), the Navy's top public affairs office, which does not mention any incoming Houthi threats at the time, reads: "*USS* Harry S. Truman *(CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28. All personnel are accounted for, with one Sailor sustaining a minor injury.* *The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard.* *Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.* *The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable.* *The strike group consists of flagship* Harry S. Truman*, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the* Ticonderoga *class cruiser USS* Gettysburg *(CG 64).*" Whether any weapons or other stores were loaded on the aircraft at the time is unknown. Whether or not the Navy is already planning to try to recover the jet is also not known. ![]() *An F/A-18E assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 136 (VFA-136), the "Knighthawks," prepares to launch from the USS *Harry S. Truman* in August 2024. *USN** The exact scale and scope of the threats that the *Truman* and the rest of its carrier strike group were facing when the Super Hornet and tow tractor went off the side are unknown, but the Houthis [have been actively targeting]() American [warships in the region]() for months. Though the Yemeni militants have been unsuccessful in hitting U.S. naval vessels so far, the group has an arsenal of [anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles](), as well as [kamikaze drones](), that present real threats, especially when [employed in large volume complex attacks](). Incoming Houthi kamikaze drones [may have been a factor]() in a [friendly fire incident last December]() in which *Truman's* air wing lost an F/A-18F to a missile fired by the strike group's cruiser USS *Gettysburg*. Sustained combat operations, in general, [present a higher-risk environment]() in [various ways](). *Truman* and the rest of its strike group departed on their current cruise in September 2024, and have spent much of the subsequent time conducting combat operations in and around the Red Sea. Those operations have been focused primarily on responding to threats emanating from Houthi militants in Yemen, but have also included strikes on ISIS-linked terrorists in Somalia. In March, the Pentagon extended *Truman*'s deployment as part of a [new and expanded campaign]() against [the Houthis](), which you can read more about [here](). https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1916192344509984906 *Truman* had only [returned to sea on Feb. 16 after repairs]() in [Greece following a collision]() with [a commercial ship in the Mediterranean Sea]() off the coast of Egypt’s Port Said earlier in the month. Though the ship suffered damaged, none of the aircraft onboard were damaged and none of the crew were injured as a result. ![]() *A look at some of the damage to the USS *Harry S. Truman* following the collision in February 2025. *USN* MCC Jose Hernandez* Both the collision and the friendly fire incident remain under investigation. Capt. Christopher “Chowdah" Hill replaced Capt. Dave Snowden as *Truman*'s commanding officer after the collision. Hill had previously commanded the aircraft carrier USS *Dwight D. Eisenhower* during a deployment that also [included months of intense combat]() in the region, as you can learn more about in our [exclusive interview]() with “Chowdah." Again, thankfully, in this latest incident, none of *Truman*'s crew suffered serious injuries. *Howard Altman contributed to this story.* *Contact the author: joe@twz.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()