U.S. Loses $60 Million Fighter Jet After It Slips Off Moving Aircraft Carrier

The U.S. government admitted on Monday that it has “lost” a very, very expensive jet after it slipped off a moving aircraft carrier last week.

The warplane, a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, somehow tumbled off the USS Harry S. Truman after the ship reportedly came under fire from Houthi rebels. The carrier has been deployed in the region for months as part of the U.S. effort to deter activity by the Yemen-based fighters, the Associated Press reports.

“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” a U.S. Navy statement says. “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.” After falling off the ship, the plane, as planes are wont to do, promptly sank, another official told CNN.

“A US official said that initial reports from the scene indicated that the Truman made a hard turn to evade Houthi fire, which contributed to the fighter jet falling overboard,” CNN reports.

One sailor suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident, the Navy said. Gizmodo reached out to the Defense Department for more information and was referred to the previously published press release.

CNN reports that the jet cost some $60 million, though some online estimates place the value closer to $70 million.

It’s just the latest headache for Trump’s new Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, who has been having one helluva time finding his footing since being confirmed to the new role. Hegseth, who previously served as a Fox News personality, was humiliated last month after accidentally texting war plans involving the Houthis to the head editor of The Atlantic. The messages were sent in a group chat that used the encrypted messenger Signal. Since then, it has been revealed that Hegseth also shared Yemen-based war plans with his wife, brother, and lawyer via yet another Signal chat. Last week, new reporting showed that Hegseth had also installed Signal on his computer using a “dirty line” that flouted traditional bypass security protocols.

Hegseth has also been criticized by former staffers who say that the new DoD head is obsessed with his own image but is not a particularly effective leader. Hegseth was also criticized recently after it was reported that he had installed a “makeup studio” at the Pentagon so that officials could be more camera-ready for media appearances.