US Super Hornet sinks after rolling off aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in Red Sea

The US Navy accidentally tipped an $87 million fighter jet into the drink. A mishap on an aircraft carrier saw the Super Hornet roll overboard into the Red Sea as the crew helplessly watched on.

A US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet slipped off an aircraft carrier and sank into the Red Sea in an alarming accident – but the pilot made it out alive, according to the military.

The jet – which cost about $A87 million – was being towed out of a hangar Monday local time (Tuesday AEST) on the USS Harry S. Truman when the tractor pulling it lost control.

This image taken from video provided by the U. Navy shows an aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen in March. Picture: AP Photo

Both the jet and the tractor fell overboard, according to the Navy.

The pilot and the Navy sailor driving the tractor managed to jump free, with only one sustaining a minor injury.

A US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea. Picture: AFP

The US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. Picture: AFP

The USS Truman aircraft carrier group has been subjected to constant threats from the Iran-backed Houthi terror group in Yemen. It is stationed in the Red Sea to protect commercial shipping in the area, which has been regularly attacked by the Houthis.

- This story was originally published in the New York Post.

Originally published as US Super Hornet sinks after rolling off aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman in Red Sea