45 minutes! Two US Navy aircraft crashed one after another

Two U.S. Navy aircraft, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, recently crashed in the South China Sea. A U.S. political commentator stated on social media that the probability of such a thing happening is about one in five billion. The two separate accidents occurred within 45 minutes of each other on Sunday afternoon, October 26, 2025, Eastern Time. Both aircraft took off from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz on routine missions. All five crew members on both aircraft were safely recovered and are in stable condition. The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet stated that the cause of the accidents is under investigation. U.S. President Donald Trump called the consecutive crashes “highly unusual” and hinted to reporters that “contaminated fuel” might have been the cause, ruling out “unusual causes” such as an attack by another country.