The deployed aircraft carrier Carl Vinson suffered four so-called “Class A” mishaps among its aircraft in the final six weeks of 2021, with three occurring in the space of a week, according to Naval Safety Center data.
No sailors were reported injured in any of the Class A mishaps, which involve damages of $2.5 million or more.
The most recent mishap occurred Dec. 31, when a CMV-22B Osprey suffered a starboard engine fire while stationary on Carl Vinson’s flight deck, the carrier’s spokeswoman, Lt. Cmdr. Christina Gibson, said in an email.
“The flight crew executed appropriate ground emergency procedures and shut the aircraft down,” Gibson said. “The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.”
The Osprey is for the first time replacing the aging C-2A Greyhound as the carrier onboard delivery aircraft for bringing people, parts and mail from shore to the Carl Vinson strike group.
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Before that, on Nov. 29, an F/A-18E Super Hornet made an emergency landing after a pilot received cockpit notification of an “Airframe Mounted Accessory Drive (AMAD) pressure caution” for one of the jet’s engines, according to officials.
The pilot executed single engine procedures and landed the jet safely on the carrier.
Five days before that, on Nov. 24, a dipping sonar system used to hunt submarines “unexpectedly detached” from a cable connecting it to a MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter during anti-submarine warfare training and was lost to the sea.
And on Nov. 22, the starboard engine of another F/A-18E Super Hornet caught fire in flight during training over the Philippine Sea, but the jet was able to return to the carrier, officials said.
Officials did not respond to questions about whether any of the mishaps could be connected.
Vinson is currently deployed to the West Pacific waters of U.S. 7th Fleet. It left San Diego Aug. 2.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
