USS Nimitz aircraft crashes due to bad fuel, suggests Trump as Navy investigates South China Sea incidents after losing MH-60R Sea Hawk and F/A-18F Super Hornet

The Navy is investigating the fuel supply of aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) as a possible cause for two U.S. aircraft crashes in the South China Sea, President Donald Trump told reporters during a press gaggle on Monday.

On Sunday afternoon 2:45 p.m. local time, an MH-60R Sea Hawk assigned to the "Battle Cats" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 crashed while flying from Nimitz. At 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F from the "Fighting Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 also crashed. All crew from both aircraft were safely recovered.

When asked if there could be foul play involved in the crash of the Sea Hawk and Super Hornet, Trump told reporters, "it could be bad fuel. I mean, it's possible it's bad fuel. Very unusual that that would happen… They think it might be bad fuel. We'll find out. Nothing to hide."


Also read: US Navy Sea Hawk helicopter, F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crash one

Two sources familiar with the initial Navy investigation confirmed Trump's comments and said that contaminated fuel in the aircraft was a leading suspect in both crashes before saying that the initial reports were far from the final word. A complete investigation into the crashes could take months.

Navy fuel supply chain involves extensive testing and filtration process

The Super Hornet and Sea Hawk operate with JP-5, the Navy's at-sea jet fuel, which is stored and pumped from tanks aboard Nimitz and resupplied from Military Sealift Command fleet oilers.

Those oilers are in turn resupplied from Pentagon-approved fuel sources around the world. All throughout the use of the fuel there is an extensive battery of tests and filtration to check for contaminants.

The fuel is filtered before it is stored in the tanks of the fleet oiler that trails an aircraft carrier, according to a summary of the steps from the Navy.

USS Nimitz carries 3 million gallons of aviation fuel with multiple safety checks

Aboard a Nimitz-class carrier there are a series of storage tanks capable of holding up to 3 million gallons of aviation fuel. Before the fuel is pumped to another series of tanks near the flight deck to fuel aircraft on the carrier flight deck. Between each step, the fuel is sampled and tested for purity and filtered several times before being pumped from the service tanks and into the aircraft by the carrier's V-4 Air Department, colloquially known as "grapes" from their purple float coats and cranials seen on an aircraft carrier's flight deck.

Also read: US Navy loses F/A-18 fighter jet, Sea Hawk helicopter in South China Sea within 30

"Our job is important because when aircraft are conducting flight operations [contaminated fuel] can cause malfunctions and possibly freeze if its levels aren't correct," a V-4 sailor said in a 2019 Navy release.