NEW: US Helicopter, Fighter Jet Crash In South China Sea In Separate Incidents

A U.S. Navy fighter jet and helicopter both plunged into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other Sunday — a stunning double accident off the USS Nimitz, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet confirmed.

All five crew members miraculously survived. The three sailors aboard the MH-60R Sea Hawk were rescued, and the two aviators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet safely ejected before being pulled from the water. “All five are safe and in stable condition,” the fleet said.

The cause of the back-to-back crashes is under investigation, but President Donald Trump floated one theory while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo Monday: “bad fuel.” He dismissed any idea of foul play and insisted there was “nothing to hide.”

The president told reporters on Air Force One he expected to be briefed soon on the reason that the two aircraft ditched in the sea, but he ruled out any foul play or security reasons.

“No, they think it might be bad fuel. We’re going to find out. Nothing to hide. We’ll find out,” Trump said.

The USS Nimitz, one of the Navy’s most storied carriers, was on its way home to Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after months deployed in the Middle East — part of America’s pushback against Houthi rebel attacks on commercial ships. This voyage marks the carrier’s final deployment before decommissioning.

ARABIAN GULF (Aug. 13, 2013) – Cmdr. Peter M. Collins, commanding officer of the “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75, right, is relieved by Cmdr. Thomas F. Foster during a mid-flight change of command ceremony over the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class George J. Penney III/Released)

The mishaps add to a troubling string of recent incidents for U.S. naval aviation. The USS Harry S. Truman has endured its own streak of blunders in recent months:

In December, a Navy cruiser, the USS Gettysburg, accidentally shot down an F/A-18 jet from the Truman.

In April, another Hornet rolled off the hangar deck and plunged into the Red Sea.

And in May, yet another F/A-18 overshot the landing cables and went overboard — forcing its two pilots to eject.

No sailors have been killed in any of the accidents, but investigations into all of them — including the Nimitz crashes — remain ongoing.

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