Two U.S. Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea on the same day, just minutes apart, during operations near waters claimed by China. Five crew members were rescued safely after abandoning their aircraft.

The first crash happened around 2:45 p.m. local time when an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 went down while operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. The Navy’s Pacific Fleet said search and rescue crews from Carrier Strike Group 11 recovered all three members of the helicopter’s crew.

Barely 30 minutes later, at 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 crashed while conducting routine operations from the same carrier. Both pilots ejected and were quickly picked up by recovery teams from the Nimitz strike group.

All five service members survived and were reported in stable condition. The Navy confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of both incidents.

President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One as he traveled between Malaysia and Japan, called the back-to-back crashes “very unusual.”

“They think it might be bad fuel,” Trump said. “We’re gonna find out. Nothing to hide, sir.”

The loss of the $60 million Super Hornet marked the fourth F/A-18 the Navy has lost this year. The USS Nimitz was returning to Washington state after months stationed in the Middle East, where it helped counter Houthi attacks on commercial shipping.

The coincidence of both aircraft going down in the same region so close together raised questions among analysts, especially as tensions continue to rise with Beijing. The South China Sea remains one of the most contested areas in the world, with China claiming large sections of international waters and warning the U.S. to keep its military presence away.

After the crashes, China’s foreign ministry issued a carefully worded statement offering to assist with recovery efforts — but also used the opportunity to criticize the U.S.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that “U.S. military operations in the area increase maritime risks and undermine peace in the region.” The offer of help came with a familiar warning from Beijing about what it calls American “provocations.”

The USS Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the Navy’s oldest active carrier and is scheduled for retirement next year. Its long service record includes decades of deployments through conflicts across the Middle East and Pacific.

The Navy has not confirmed whether mechanical failure, human error, or external interference played a role in the incidents. With multiple aircraft from the same carrier going down in such a short window, investigators are focusing on possible systemic issues like contaminated fuel or maintenance failures.

The incident also comes as the U.S. military ramps up its activity in the Indo-Pacific to counter China’s expanding influence. Naval patrols and freedom-of-navigation operations in the region have increased under President Trump, who has made rebuilding the Navy’s strength a national priority.

For now, all five rescued crew members are recovering aboard the Nimitz as the investigation continues. But questions remain about how two top-of-the-line aircraft could fall out of the sky in a matter of minutes — and whether it was just coincidence, or something more.