USS Nimitz sailor dies in fall

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A U.S. Navy sailor died after falling from an aircraft elevator aboard the USS Nimitz, officials said.

The Nimitz aircraft carrier was in port at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado when the 21-year-old sailor fell from one of the elevators used to move aircraft from the flight deck to the internal hangar. The accident happened around 9 p.m. Friday.

The Navy said the sailor suffered serious injuries and was transported to UCSD Regional Trauma Center, where he died around 2 a.m. Saturday.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was looking into the cause of the accident, according to media reports.

The Navy won't release the sailor's name until 24 hours after the family has been notified, as per Defense Department policy.

The Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, was in San Diego for routine training operations.