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An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. Two Navy pilots are safe after ejecting from an F/A-18 Super Hornet that “experienced a mechanical issue” over the Philippine Sea on Monday morning, a Navy statement said.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. Two Navy pilots are safe after ejecting from an F/A-18 Super Hornet that “experienced a mechanical issue” over the Philippine Sea on Monday morning, a Navy statement said. (Nathan Burke/ U.S. Navy photo)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Two Navy aviators are safe after ejecting from an F/A-18 Super Hornet that “experienced a mechanical issue” over the Philippine Sea on Monday morning, a Navy statement said.

The Carrier Air Wing 5 aviators were “conducting routine operations” as part of their deployment with the USS Ronald Reagan when the problem arose, according to the statement.

After ejecting from the Super Hornet, the sailors were picked up by search-and-rescue aircraft from the Ronald Reagan and brought back aboard the Yokosuka-based carrier. The jet crashed into the ocean.

The crew members are in “good condition” and undergoing medical evaluations, the statement.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Ronald Reagan has resumed its regular operations.

Last month, 12 people were injured when a Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopter crashed on the Ronald Reagan’s flight deck in the Philippine Sea. The cause of that crash Oct. 19 remains under investigation, said Task Force 70 spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight.

"All patients from the Oct. 19 helicopter crash have been released from the hospital in the Philippines and are currently receiving any necessary follow on care from Navy medical providers," he said.

doornbos.caitlin@stripes.com Twitter: @CaitlinDoornbos

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Caitlin Doornbos covers the Pentagon for Stars and Stripes after covering the Navy’s 7th Fleet as Stripes’ Indo-Pacific correspondent at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. Previously, she worked as a crime reporter in Lawrence, Kan., and Orlando, Fla., where she was part of the Orlando Sentinel team that placed as finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. Caitlin has a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the University of Kansas and master’s degree in defense and strategic studies from the University of Texas at El Paso.

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