It was a routine night landing on the USS Harry S. Truman — another return from a mission in the Red Sea. Below deck, the crew prepared. The deck lights glowed. The jets were on alert. The world above was calm. But in one instant, a small mechanical defect transformed that tranquillity into chaos.
The jet was a multimillion-dollar symbol of might and precision, in this case a F/A-18F Super Hornet. Its official cost is estimated to be some $60 million. When it attempted that night to land, the ship’s arresting-gear system — the cables and equipment that catch the jet and stop it after a high-speed carrier landing — broke. The results were swift and brutal. It failed spectacularly: Last year, machinery went careening across the deck below, just missing sailors and slamming into equipment shortly after it parted.
From the initial boom to the showers of sparks, the landing went awry within seconds. The jet whipsawed and rapidly left course — finally sliding of the deck into the sea. The two crew members on board ejected safely. Amazingly, no one was killed on deck despite the explosion and chaos. There were only minor injuries.
The cause? An absent washer in the clevis-pin assembly — one of many small parts that make up the arresting-gear system. Its absence proved catastrophic. What had been an safe, controlled descent became uncertain because it was lacking a small part. The investigation also identified broader issues: a rapid operational tempo, undermanning, fatigue and poor maintenance practices on board the carrier during an extended deployment.
This isn’t just a one-off mistake. It’s all part of a distressing pattern on the Truman’s current deployment. There were other serious incidents in those months as well — friendly-fire shootdowns accidentally targeting American jets, another jet falling overboard during a hangar-deck tow effort and colliding with a merchant ship, further equipment losses. Investigations concluded that systemic strain, maintenance shortcuts and breakdowns in the quality of life of the crew played a role.
The broader picture is sobering. Aircraft-carrier operations always carry risk. But when high stakes — combat stress, long deployments and hard use — are compounded by gaps in maintenance, crew fatigue and the normal wear and tear of war, even the most advanced warplanes become susceptible. One little washer shortage ended up grounding the Navy’s most expensive fighter jet, a reminder of how fragile even the mightiest projects can be when you push them beyond their limits.
The repercussions for the Navy are severe. The loss of a multimillion-dollar jet raises questions about readiness, safety protocols and oversight. Not just the material, but the confidence in their ability to keep complex machinery operating under combat conditions over time. And for the sailors and pilots who are involved, it’s a lesson that even minor details can determine the difference between a routine mission and an accident that threatens their lives.
In a world in which headlines concentrate on missiles, drones and big budget weapons, this crash serves as a demonstration that there is another danger waiting: breakdowns from the inside. Maintenance. Training. Dependability. When those slip out of alignment, even a $60 million Super Hornet turns heartbreakingly vulnerable.
