Here’s an E-2C Hawkeye trying to land on the USS Eisenhower. Everything seems normal until the arresting cable on the carrier—which is supposed to snare an aircraft as it lands—suddenly snaps. The airplane almost looks like a runaway car until it drops and disappears out of view, off the carrier.
Luckily, the aircraft managed to fly back up in time to avoid diving into the ocean, but eight Navy sailors were injured. The Virginian Pilot reports:
As the Hawkeye snagged the No. 4 wire, its three-person crew first sensed normal deceleration followed by a loud bang. They “heard the tailhook re-contact the flight deck, and felt a shudder,” the report said. They realized “something had happened” when the Hawkeye continued toward the end of the flight deck.
Read more about the incident here.
