A United States Navy fighter jet and a tow tractor fell off an aircraft carrier and sank in the Red Sea on Monday after the crew lost control of the plane, the Navy said.

The warplane, a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, somehow tumbled off the USS Harry S. Truman after the ship reportedly came under fire from Houthi rebels. The carrier has been deployed in the region for months as part of the U.S. effort to deter activity by the Yemen-based fighters, the Associated Press reports.

The F/A-18E Super Hornet fell off the USS Harry S. Truman as sailors were towing the aircraft into the hangar bay, according to the Navy.