Date: February 9th, 2025 2:37 AM Author: Comical legend
During exercises in the South China Sea, U.S. Navy Lt. Melissa Cole took off from the USS John Stennis in her F-18 for a routine flight, and was expected to return in less than an hour.
But Cole, an honors graduate of the Naval Academy, accidentally switched her radio off and ignored repeated warnings about her aircraft's location near a Chinese strike force, including the Xinghuo Ling, a People's Navy aircraft carrier that is nearly identical to the John Stennis.
After concluding incorrectly that her radio was broken, Cole landed her jet on the Ling, completely unaware that Chinese fighters and anti-aircraft missiles were being scrambled upon her approach.
"I totally thought my radio was, like, broken, you know?" said Cole after she landed. "Sometimes I'm on TikTok and I put the radio on mute just so I can hear my phone," she added.