5 San Diego Sailors Accused Of Leaking Footage Of Terrifying Jet Crash

Five San Diego sailors are facing charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for their alleged roles in the leak of footage showing an F-35C Lightning II crashing on the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson in January. The sailors facing charges include a Senior Chief, three Chiefs, and a Junior Officer, according to Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Zach Harrell.

According to NBC7, the accident occurred during routine flight operations on January 24 in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy said the pilot and six sailors on board the carrier were injured.

"There is an ongoing investigation into the crash. The investigation into the unauthorized release of the shipboard video footage has concluded; one U.S. Navy O-1 [Ensign], one E-8 [Senior Chief Petty Officer], and three E-7s [Chief Petty Officer] have been charged under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice," said Harrell.

The leaked footage shows the vantage point of two flight deck cameras. One is a deck-level camera showing the jet approaching the stern and bottoming out on the flight deck. and the second is positioned higher and shows a wider angle of the crash.

The second leaked video seems to be recorded on a phone or hand-held camera from the stern of the ship.

"We remain grateful to the highly trained Sailors aboard Carl Vinson who immediately responded to ensure that the pilot was recovered from the water, all injured personnel were cared for, and flight deck was cleared and re-set for operations. After a short pause in accordance with safety procedures, the rapid response from the crew enabled flight operations resume with minimal impact to mission requirements."

On the day of the crash, the pilot and two sailors were flown off the ship to a hospital in Manila, Philippines, and were in stable condition hours later according to the Navy. The other four injured sailors were treated on the ship.