• An F/A-18 Super Hornet fell off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on Monday.
• A defense official said a sailor was in the jet's cockpit but jumped out before it fell overboard.
• The Truman, which has been battling the Houthis, was in the Red Sea at the time.

A US Navy sailor jumped from the cockpit of an F/A-18 fighter jet just before it fell off an aircraft carrier into the Red Sea on Monday, a defense official confirmed to Business Insider.

The sailor was involved in moving the jet when the incident occurred, the official said.

The Navy revealed earlier this week that an F/A-18E Super Hornet and a tow tractor fell off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and into the sea after the move crew "lost control" of the fighter aircraft. It didn't say why the crew lost control of the plane, but it did say a sailor was hurt.

A US defense official told BI on Wednesday that the sailor, who was lightly injured, bailed out of the F/A-18 cockpit when it became clear the aircraft was going to go overboard.

It's unclear how much time passed between the sailor leaving the plane and it falling into the water. The defense official said it's standard practice for a sailor to be in the jet's cockpit when the aircraft is being moved in case the crew needs to use the emergency brake or steer.

In its statement on the incident, the Navy said sailors towing the jet "took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard." CNN first reported that a sailor was in the cockpit at the time.

The Navy said Monday that the F/A-18, which is estimated to cost about $60 million, was under tow in the Truman's hangar bay, an area underneath the flight deck where aircraft receive maintenance, when it fell into the Red Sea.

At the time, the fighter jet was likely on one of Truman's four aircraft elevators, which move aircraft between the hangar bay and the flight deck. The Navy said an investigation is underway.

"The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable," the sea service said.

Monday's incident marks the second time Truman's air wing has lost an F/A-18 during its Red Sea deployment. In December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the strike group, shot down a Super Hornet in what was described at the time as "an apparent case of friendly fire." Its two aviators ejected safely.

The Truman is one of two Navy carriers involved in combat operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The US began an intense bombing campaign against the rebels on March 15 and has hit over 1,000 targets in the weeks since.

The Houthis, meanwhile, continue to attack American ships. Before the Super Hornet incident on Monday, the rebels said they launched missiles and drones at the Truman, forcing the carrier to turn around. Some reports have suggested that the ship made an evasive maneuver that caused the F/A-18 to go overboard. BI could not confirm these reports.

• A US Navy aircraft carrier deployed to the Red Sea lost a $60 million fighter jet on Monday.
• The aircraft fell overboard after a move crew "lost control" of the jet, the Navy said.
• It's the second time that the USS Harry S. Truman strike group has lost an F/A-18 Super Hornet.

An F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fell off the USS Harry S. Truman on Monday while the aircraft carrier was operating in the Red Sea, leaving a sailor hurt, the US Navy said.

The F/A-18E, which is estimated to cost roughly $60 million, was actively under tow in Truman's hangar bay — an area underneath the flight deck where aircraft receive maintenance — when the move crew "lost control" of the fighter aircraft. The plane then fell overboard alongside the tow tractor.

"Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard," the Navy said, adding in a statement that one sailor received minor injuries and an investigation is underway.

"The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable," the Navy said.

The Truman is one of two US Navy aircraft carriers that are launching aircraft for daily strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The US military began an intense bombing campaign against the rebels on March 15 and has struck hundreds of targets in the weeks since.

Earlier on Monday, the Houthis said they launched missiles and drones at the Truman and the warships in its strike group, claiming that the attack forced the carrier to turn around. Business Insider could not immediately verify these details.

A defense official told BI that "very few details can be provided currently as the incident is under investigation," adding that the crew is safe and accounted for.

The loss of a Super Hornet this week marks the second time during its involvement in the Red Sea conflict that the Truman strike group has lost one of the air wing's F/A-18.

In late December, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg accidentally shot a Super Hornet down in what the military described as "an apparent case of friendly fire."