U.S. Navy helicopter and fighter jet crash in South China Sea

[jeff of pa]

Oct 26, 2025
According to a statement from the U.S. Pacific Fleet, a Navy helicopter and fighter jet, both from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, crashed independently in the South China Sea. Early reports indicate the incidents occurred only 30 minutes apart. LiveNOW’s Andy Mac has the latest updates from the South China Sea this weekend. According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet on social media, “On October 26, 2025 at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11 safely recovered all three crew members.

 

[robertk]

Search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11 safely recovered all three crew members.

I'm glad they're all OK. And I hope they figure out why this happened. But I hate it when people are referred to as "assets".

 

[Crow]

I'm glad they're all OK. And I hope they figure out why this happened. But I hate it when people are referred to as "assets".

Sadly I am disposable asset these days.

Crow

 

[Mackaydon]

And some people I know who have great talent and don't exploit it; I call them wasting assets.
Don in SoCal

 

[ConceptualizedNetherlandr]

Someone said suspected bad fuel, but really? Is China playing with electronics?

 

[robertk]

Someone said suspected bad fuel, but really? Is China playing with electronics?

Actually that was my first thought as well.

 

[djackson7348]

Someone said suspected bad fuel, but really? Is China playing with electronics?

Or Russia? Trying to sour relations between US and China?

 

[robertk]

Sadly I am disposable asset these days.

To some people, we all are. And that's truly sad.

 

[Crow]

To some people, we all are. And that's truly sad.

Sadly I learned first hand how expendable an asset we really are. On the day you realise that you are truly free.

Crow