The safety stand-down, ordered Friday, will affect 3,800 aircraft and thousands of naval aviation personnel, including aircraft on 12 carriers around the world. It is the first time since September 1997 that such a pause in flight operations has been ordered across the Navy, the service said.

According to the Navy, grounding the flights is not related to any specific equipment or flying problem but is a way to refocus on safety, risk management and other procedures.

Since October 1, there have been nine major crashes that resulted in loss or life or of the aircraft. Nine aircraft were destroyed and 10 Naval aviators were killed. During the corresponding period a year ago, eight major crashes occurred.

All naval aviation squadrons will be required to complete the safety review by the end of next week, but no particular day is being designated.

The most recent accident was Friday when a Navy jet crashed off the West Coast state of Oregon. The pilot was rescued after ejecting. In early February another Navy pilot was rescued after his F/A-18 Hornet jet crashed into the water near Key West, Florida. And in late January a Navy pilot and his student were killed when their training plane crashed just south of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas.

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