BANGKOK - A US Navy F35C Lightning II fighter jet practicing in the South China Sea crashed while trying to land on the deck of a US aircraft carrier, injuring seven sailors, the military said on Tuesday.
On Monday, the pilot managed to eject before the plane struck the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson and then fell into the water. US 7th Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Mark Langford said the pilot had recovered safely from the helicopter.
Seven sailors, including the pilot, were injured and three were evacuated to Manila, Philippines for medical treatment, while four were treated onboard. The Navy said all three deported to Manila were reported to be in stable condition on Tuesday morning.
Langford said details of the multimillion-dollar crash were still being verified.
"The condition of the plane and the recovery are currently being investigated," he told the Associated Press.
Two US carrier strike groups with more than 14,000 sailors and marines are conducting exercises in the South China Sea, which the military says "have the potential to deliver a powerful maritime force to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Joint Force."
The impact on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson was "superficial", Langford said, and both carriers have resumed regular flight operations.
As China presses territorial claims in the South China Sea and increased pressure on Taiwan, the US and its allies have intensified exercises in the region, which they call freedom of navigation operations in line with international law.
As the Carl Vinson and Abraham Lincoln strike groups began their dual-carrier operations on Sunday, China flew 39 warplanes toward Taiwan in its biggest flight of the new year, according to Taiwan's Defense Ministry.
The formation of 24 Chinese J-16 and 10 J-10 fighter jets remained out of Taiwan's airspace, but the maneuver prompted Taiwan to scramble its own aircraft in response.
Chinese pilots are flying to Taiwan on an almost daily basis, and it was unclear whether Sunday's flights were a response to US exercises. China's foreign ministry declined to comment.
Taiwan and China separated during the civil war in 1949, but China claims the island. Beijing has used diplomatic and military means to isolate and intimidate the self-governing island, but the US continues to support Taiwan by selling it advanced weapons and fighter aircraft.