Second US Navy jet is lost at sea from Truman aircraft carrier

[Deminpenn]

8. Cat and Trap equipment does fail

and there also could have been a tailhook failure. There are some tailhooks that aren't one piece, but a tail and a hook bonded together. It's also possible that the plane came in a bit too high and didn't catch all the wire. There are multiple wires strung across the carrier deck, though.

This is why the pilots constantly practice touch and go's in case they don't catch a wire upon landing on the carrier deck.

There is a new arresting system on the Ford class carriers, but the Truman has the older, hydraulic system.

Back during my time working at DoD, Navy lost an F14 in the Bearing Sea, iirc, because it wasn't properly tied down on the deck and rolled off the end of the JFK.