The U.S. Navy has identified the sailor who died in a mishap on board its Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) as Airman Apprentice Joseph Min Naglak.

Naglak died at around 4:45 p.m. Monday after he was struck by the turning propeller of an E-2C Hawkeye tactical airborne early warning aircraft while securing the it to the flight deck.. The incident happened during routine operations while the vessel was operating in the Atlantic Ocean. No other service members sustained injuries.

Naglak, of New Jersey, enlisted in the Navy in April 2017 and reported aboard the Bush four months later.

“The loss of a shipmate is a heartbreaking experience for a crew of a naval vessel and those aboard USS George H.W. Bush will mourn Naglak’s passing and remember him always for his devoted service and sacrifice to our nation,” a statement from the office of Naval Air Force Atlantic Cmdr. Dave Hecht said.

The George H.W. Bush was reportedly at sea for carrier qualification training. The purpose of carrier qualifications (CQ) is to give pilots a dedicated opportunity to develop fundamental skills associated with operating fixed-wing, carrier-based aircraft and demonstrate acceptable levels of proficiency required for qualification.

The carrier resumed normal flight operations Tuesday afternoon.

On July 30 this year, one U.S. Navy aircrewman was killed and another injured when a fuel tank detached from an HH-60H Seahawk helicopter and fell over them during training at the Naval Air Station North Island located in San Diego County, California. The accident occurred during hot pit, hot seat training which involved refueling the helicopter without shutting down the engine.

The Navy identified the victim as Naval Helicopter Aircrewman 1st Class Jonathan Richard Clement who was declared dead at the UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest a day after the incident.





