Trump Flags Possible Bad Fuel in Back-To-Back USS Nimitz Crashes in South China Sea

Two aircraft from USS Nimitz went down in the South China Sea on October 26 within roughly thirty minutes. A U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 and an F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 22 were lost during routine carrier operations. All five aviators survived and are stable. The Navy says both mishaps remains under investigation.

President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One the crashes were “very unusual” and suggested contaminated fuel as a possible factor. He said he did not suspect foul play. The White House traveling press pool noted he expected a quick update from the Navy.

Defense officials confirm the first mishap occured at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time when the HSM-73 Sea Hawk went down while operating from Nimitz. Carrier Strike Group 11 search-and-rescue assets recovered the helicopter’s three crew members. Roughly a half hour later, a VFA-22 F/A-18F also went into the sea, with both aircrew ejecting and then being recovered. U.S. Pacific Fleet stated all personnel were safe and in stable condition.

The Navy has not identified the specific missions at the time of loss. Pacific Fleet characterized both as routine operations from the carrier. Chinese officials publicly offered humanitarian assistance after the incidents, which Washington acknowledged while continuing recovery and inquiry actions already underway.

Two Nimitz aircraft were lost in the South China Sea within thirty minutes

U.S. Pacific Fleet’s timeline places the MH-60R loss first, at about mid-afternoon local time on October 26, followed by the F/A-18F around a half hour later. The sequence matches standard deck cycles in which rotary-wing sorties often run parallel to fixed-wing flight operations on large-deck carriers. The Navy emphasized the quick rescue of all five aviators and provided no evidence of hostile activity.

Trump’s remarks point to fuel as a line of inquiry. Reporters quoted him saying it “could be bad fuel”, while stressing there was “nothing to hide.” He again dismissed the idea of sabotage or attack.

Carrier Air Wing 17 units and timeline details

Both squadrons are part of Carrier Air Wing 17. VFA-22 “Fighting Redcocks” flys the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet and is based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. HSM-73 “BattleCats” operates the MH-60R Sea Hawk and is based at Naval Air Station North Island, California. The Navy’s public squadron pages list each unit’s aircraft and attachment to CVW-17, which embarked in Nimitz for this deployment.

The Sea Hawk supports anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, plus SAR and logistics. The F/A-18F covers air-to-air and strike missions with a two-crew cockpit that splits pilot and weapon systems operator tasks.

Pacific Fleet’s public note tied the helicopter to HSM-73 and the jet to VFA-22 in its social media update.

Fuel quality controls on carriers and the investigation focus

Trump’s mention of “bad fuel” puts a spotlight on how carriers manage JP-5. The Navy’s Aircraft Refueling NATOPS manual requires “clean, clear and bright” fuel delivered to aircraft with visual and instrument checks for sediment and free water limits before fueling each day and after any maintenance or system disturbance. When quality is suspect, units take “special samples” for expedited lab testing and halt delivery from the suspected segment pending results.

DoD fuel quality standards outline receipt and intra-system limits across JP-5 and other grades, with MIL-STD-3004 setting visual “clear and bright” and quantitative limits for water and particulates. Navy maintenance procedures instruct personnel to swirl-test samples and, if contaminants appear, drain low points, resample, and quarantine the affected leg until readings meet spec.

Nimitz herself drew scrutiny in 2022 after a shipboard systems issue saw traces of JP-5 reach part of the potable water system while operating off California. The command cleaned and flushed affected lines and the Navy later released investigation findings on the path of fuel residue into an unused water tank gasket. That episode did not involve aircraft fuel delivery to flight operations, but it illustrates the ship’s complex fluid systems and the Navy’s follow-on corrective actions and transparency obligations.

If fuel enters the causal chain for the Oct. 26 mishaps, investigators will map the full journey. That typically includes receipt source, storage tank lineage, filter-separator change-out records, coalescer and monitor histories, sample serials, fueling point assignments, nozzle swaps, and timing of recirculation before the first aircraft fueled that day. NATOPS directs priority handling for any “special samples” tied to suspected fuel problems, with rapid shipment to petroleum laboratories.

Nimitz’s final deployment and program dates

Nimitz is the Navy’s oldest active carrier, commissioned in 1975, and is on her last cruise before deactivation. The ship is returning toward Naval Base Kitsap after months of operations that included a Middle East stint. The Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries have active planning and early-execution contracts to support inactivation and defueling, with additional advance planning awarded this year. The Navy’s long-range plan targets inactivation in 2026 with follow-on work extending beyond that.

Public schedule notes indicate a homeport shift to the U.S. East Coast ahead of disposal work, with a move to Norfolk no later than spring 2026 referenced in open sources and press briefings over the past year. Stars and Stripes likewise reported deactivation milestones in 2024 and 2025 coverage tied to contract awards and Navy planning.

Separately, Trump is in Asia this week and is slated to meet China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday local time in South Korea. That timing puts the President’s public comments on the Nimitz mishaps inside an ongoing travel window that includes meetings in Malaysia and Japan. The bilateral with Xi appears on multiple official and press schedules.

Defense officials say both mishap inquiries proceed through standard naval aviation channels. If investigators suspect a common fuel vector, they will compare fueling times and points for both aircraft, inspect filter bowls and boost pumps, test residue from fuel system components, and corroborate any anomalies with lab results from shipboard and shore facilties.

According to industry sources, the team will also examine deck cycle sequencing, weather, and potential transient factors such as water ingress during recent replenishment at sea or during port fueling.

Our analysis shows the most impactful near-term finding will be whether the two losses share a single root cause. If fuel quality links both, corrective actions may center on a defined segment of the carrier’s JP-5 distribution chain and the receipt source that fed it.

Trump Flags Possible Bad Fuel in Back-To-Back USS Nimitz Crashes in South China Sea

Two Nimitz aircraft were lost in the South China Sea within thirty minutes

Carrier Air Wing 17 units and timeline details

Fuel quality controls on carriers and the investigation focus

Nimitz’s final deployment and program dates

REFERENCE SOURCES

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