The investigation report on the two aircraft crashes of the "Nimitz" in the South China Sea has not been released yet, but Trump, who seems to know everything, has already given a conclusion on the accident.

On the 27th, Trump said in an interview that he had received a briefing on the plane crash of the "Nimitz", and the U.S. military is still investigating the cause of the accident, but he believes it may be due to "low-quality fuel causing the crash of the carrier-based aircraft".

Trump's statement is indeed possible.

According to information from the U.S. Navy Association website, the U.S. Navy is currently following Trump's statement for the investigation, but the final conclusion may take several months to be announced.

Can fuel cause a plane crash? From a technical perspective, Trump's statement this time really has no fault to find.

The U.S. military's "Heron" helicopter and "Super Hornet" carrier-based aircraft both use the same type of aviation fuel (JP-5) - this aviation fuel is the standard fuel for U.S. Navy aircraft, with very high cross-platform "compatibility", and is suitable for safe storage on ships.

However, if the aviation fuel is used improperly or there are operational errors, it can indeed lead to plane crashes, such as in the process of storage, transportation, or refueling, the fuel may be contaminated by water, sediment, or microorganisms, which can cause the aircraft engine to stall;

For example, fuel line leaks or clogged filters can cause the engine to run out of oil, resulting in power loss - on an aircraft carrier, the high-pressure fuel system will be under pressure during the catapult takeoff of the carrier-based aircraft, increasing the risk of undetected leaks;

Fuel problems are one of the reasons for frequent U.S. military plane crashes.

Another example is that pilots or crew members may incorrectly estimate the fuel reserves, especially during long missions or when the landing cycle on the aircraft carrier is delayed, leading to plane crashes due to fuel exhaustion during flight or during a go-around.

The above three situations have corresponding cases in the history of U.S. carrier-based aircraft crashes, with the most typical one occurring in 2016, when a U.S. "Super Hornet" crashed, and the military investigation confirmed that the accident was related to contaminated fuel affecting engine performance.

Later in 2022, it was also reported that the freshwater tanks on the "Nimitz" were contaminated with aviation fuel, but since it was aviation fuel leaking into drinking water, this incident did not result in a plane crash, only causing many sailors to experience vomiting, rashes, and other symptoms.

The "Nimitz" came to the South China Sea to show off its might, but ended up embarrassing itself.

Regarding these two accidents this year, if Trump's claim about "low-quality fuel" is true, then combining the description provided by the U.S. military, it may be inferred that before the accident, the "Nimitz" was conducting resupply operations, and the "Heron" helicopter, while performing vertical resupply, had an engine failure due to fuel issues, causing the helicopter to crash into the sea.

Subsequently, when the U.S. military was searching for the pilot of the helicopter, a "Super Hornet" on alert took off and also crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff due to fuel issues or insufficient reserves, plus the search and rescue operation affected the normal recovery of the carrier-based aircraft.

Of course, this is just a one-sided speculation. What exactly caused the two carrier-based aircraft of the "Nimitz" to crash consecutively will ultimately depend on the U.S. military's accident investigation report.

If we look at it from a deeper perspective, in recent years, the frequent crashes of U.S. aircraft have almost become a routine - this can certainly be explained by the intense training of U.S. pilots, but the frequent crashes of aircraft also reflect that the U.S. military's logistical support capabilities are declining.

The current U.S. Navy is like a rusted aircraft carrier.

Especially the global aircraft carrier deployment needs of the United States have made U.S. sailors exhausted, and the "Nimitz" that caused trouble in the South China Sea was originally supposed to be retired in 2025, but due to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, and the delay of the "Kennedy", the "Nimitz", which has been in service for 50 years, has been delayed until 2026 for retirement.

The U.S. Navy obviously intended to make the South China Sea deployment the last highlight moment of the "Nimitz" before its retirement, but fate did not go as planned, and these two plane crashes are destined to mark the end of the "Nimitz" service period with an unsatisfactory conclusion.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566112082274304566/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author, and you are welcome to express your opinion by clicking on the 【top/down】 buttons below.