During a "press gaggle" on board Air Force One early Monday morning, President Trump ruled out any foul play while discussing possible causes of two separate aircraft crashes over the weekend. The president did offer bad fuel as a possible cause.
President Donald Trump says the U.S. does not suspect foul play in the two separate crashes of U.S. Navy aircraft in the South China Sea this weekend.
Trump made the statement during a gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One, saying he expected to get answers regarding the crashes soon. One possibility he'd been given was that the planes had faulty fuel, the president said.
"You've been briefed on the incident, on the Nimitz, both a fighter jet and a helicopter?" a reporter asked.
"I've heard about it, yeah," Trump responded.
Both aircraft typically use JP-5 or JP-8 aviation fuel, so it's possible both aircraft got fuel from the same tainted source - if that is indeed what happened. We note with relief that all five aviators were recovered alive and are expected to recover.
The president continued:
"Do you know what happened there? What was that?" the reporter asked.
"They're going to let me know pretty soon. I think they should be able to find out. It could be bad fuel. I mean, it's possible it's bad fuel. Very unusual that that would happen," Trump said.
"You don't think it was foul play or anything?" the reporter pressed.
"No, I don't," Trump replied. "They think it might be bad fuel."
That would explain two crashes of two aircraft, flying off the same deck, on the same day. As of this writing, there has been no official statement from the United States Navy.
Read More: Trouble in the South China Sea: US Navy Helicopter and Jet Crash in Separate Incidents
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was commissioned in 1975 as the lead ship in the class, and is the oldest serving aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet. It is currently on its last deployment and is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2026. The Nimitz-class carriers are currently being replaced by the Gerald R. Ford class; the class ship has been in service since 2017, and there are indications it may be deployed to the Mediterranean.
This remains a developing story. As always, we will bring you updates as events warrant.
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