A Top Gun: Maverick-style Super Hornet fighter plane that was blown off an aircraft carrier and into the water.
Strong winds in the Mediterranean caused the $66.9 million US Navy F/A-18 fighter to be blown off the deck of the USS Harry Truman and into the water.
The airplane is the same design as the ones Tom Cruise and other famous pilots flew in the recently released sequel to Top Gun, Maverick.
There was no pilot in the jet when it ran into the gusts, but one sailor from the aircraft carrier was hurt.
He or she is stable and is expected to make a full recovery.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the carrier, which has its base in Naples, is currently on a lengthy deployment.
According to a spokesman for the Naples-based US Navy 6th Fleet, “One sailor got minor injuries while conducting operations during the unexpected heavy weather.”
“The sailor is in stable health and expected to make a full recovery,” the statement continued.
The spokesman for the 6th Fleet added that air missions were still being conducted.
It is unknown if the damaged plane was chained up. The carrier can transport about 90 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, and they are often moored to the deck.
After spending four months in the Mediterranean, the USS Harry Truman and her 5,000-person crew are scheduled to be replaced by the USS George H. W. Bush in August.
A RAF F-35 fighter plane crashed into the Mediterranean less than a year ago, setting off a race between the UK, the US, and China to rescue the stricken vessel and prevent the technology of the jet from getting into the hands of the Chinese military.
In November, the jet took off from the HMS Queen Elizabeth’s flight deck, causing the pilot to eject.
Following the incident, naval troops claimed to have seen the cover floating in the water close to Britain’s flagship aircraft carrier.
According to sources, the RAF pilot attempted to abort takeoff after realizing the problem but was unable to do so before the plane reached the end of the ship’s runway.