One of the US Navy’s elite aircraft, an F/A-18 Super Hornet, went missing at sea last week near Naples, Italy, after being blown into the sea by “unexpectedly strong” winds, a Navy official said. In a news release, the Navy said an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, sank after “unexpectedly severe weather conditions” pushed the fighter jet from the deck. No one was seriously injured during the incident and the Navy said all personnel assigned to the ship were accounted for. FILE- An F/A18 “Super Hornet” piloted by Lt. Corey L. Pritchard makes the first landing of the new plane July 24, 2002 on the USS Abraham Lincoln. (Kittie VandenBosch-US Navy/Getty Images) “A sailor sustained minor injuries while conducting operations during the unexpectedly severe weather. The sailor is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery,” the statement added. MISSING OHIO NAVY FIREFIGHTERS IDENTIFIED 80 YEARS AFTER PEARL HARBOR The Super Hornet is estimated to cost around $57 million. FILE- The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman arrives at the French port of Marseille in the Mediterranean. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) The Navy said the fighter jet saw its first operational use in 2002 when it enforced a “no-fly” zone in Iraq. The fighter aircraft carries a 20mm M61A1/A2 Vulcan cannon, can reach speeds of Mach 1.8 and is primarily used in fighter and fleet escort air defense missions. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP FILE- An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from one of four steam-powered flight deck catapults on the USS Abraham Lincoln. (Tyler J. Clements/US Navy/Getty Images) The Navy said the USS Harry S. Truman and its aircraft “remain capable of their full mission.” Details of the cause of the incident are still being investigated.
