An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea, June 21, 2022. (Gray Gibson/U.S. Navy)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet that dropped its fuel tank off Okinawa last year was experiencing engine problems at the time, according to a Japanese newspaper report.
The pilot dropped the plane’s external fuel tank May 29, 2022, about 15 nautical miles off Okinawa in international waters as a safety measure before landing at Kadena Air Base, the Navy said at the time.
However, the Navy didn’t explain why the fighter, assigned to Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, diverted to Kadena.
The Okinawa Times, citing a Navy incident report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, reported Monday that the plane had engine troubles before dropping the tank.
The fighter was expected to land on the Ronald Reagan but the pilot diverted to Kadena due to a fire aboard the carrier, the newspaper reported.
The Super Hornet lost power in its right engine before its left engine caught fire. Then the pilot jettisoned the fuel tank and landed at Kadena, according to the report.
The accident cost the U.S. government approximately $23,664, according to Naval Safety Command, the newspaper reported.
The 16-foot-long fuel tank washed ashore near Higashi Village, Okinawa, and was found by a resident. It was retrieved by the Navy on June 1, 2022, a spokesman for the Okinawa Defense Bureau told Stars and Stripes the next day.
