A worker at Newport News Shipbuilding was seriously injured Tuesday when he fell from scaffolding as he worked on an aircraft carrier.

The worker — working under a Navy contractor rather than directly for the shipyard — fell from the side of the USS John C. Stennis at about 10:45 a.m., said Lieut. Cmdr. Courtney Callaghan of Naval Air Force Atlantic.

Another worker told the Daily Press the man fell onto a barge that was adjacent to the warship. Callaghan did not immediately have information on how many feet the man fell or what task he was performing at the time.

Newport News Fire Chief Wesley Rogers said the shipyard’s fire department asked for assistance from the city’s fire department at 10:56 a.m., with the city tasked with airlifting the fallen worker from the scene.

The man was flown by helicopter to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Rogers said. The man’s condition could not be determined Tuesday afternoon.

The Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered carrier, is currently undergoing its midlife refueling and overhaul at the yard. Callaghan said the accident remains under investigation.

Peter Dujardin, 757-897-2062, pdujardin@dailypress.com

 

 

 

 

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/09/09/worker-falls-seriously-injured-at-newport-news-shipbuilding/