USS KITTY HAWK, At Sea (NNS) -- An F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 195, part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, was lost at sea July 30 during a night training mission from USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).
The pilot ejected and was safely recovered by a U.S. Navy helicopter shortly after the incident, which took place about 400 miles southeast of Guam.
The aircraft was conducting routine training at the time. A Navy investigation will be conducted to determine the cause.
The pilot’s name will not be released at this time.
The F/A-18C is a single seat fighter and attack aircraft. The squadron operates from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, and is embarked on Kitty Hawk.
The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is on its summer deployment in the western Pacific Ocean. The strike group is the U.S. Navy’s largest and includes the carrier, seven ships of Destroyer Squadron 15, two Aegis weapons system-equipped guided-missile cruisers and CVW 5.
The ships operate from Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, and the air wing operates from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. Together, they serve as the 7th Fleet’s combatant force.