Navy E-2C Hawkeye Crashes in Atlantic

Air and sea search includes USS Harry S. Truman, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower , and the U.S. Coast Guard.

August 17, 2007

ELIZABETH CITY NC NEWS -- The U.S. Coast Guard is assisting the U.S. Navy in their search for survivors of a naval aircraft that went down 150 miles off the Coast of the Virginia Capes. The Navy E-2C Hawkeye aircraft from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 120 crashed at sea while conducting routine training operations on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The aircraft crashed at approximately 11:30 p.m. Wednesday following its launch from the aircraft carrier.

VAW-120 is the east coast E-2C/C-2A Fleet Replacement Squadron based at Naval Station Norfolk and trains pilots and Naval flight officers in both aircraft before they are assigned to operational fleet squadrons.

The E-2C Hawkeye is a twin-engine turbo prop aircraft used for airborne command, control, and early warning. It normally carries a crew of five including two pilots and three NFOs.

Three aviators were aboard the aircraft. An air and sea search is being conducted by units from Harry S. Truman, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and the U.S. Coast Guard. Furthermore, Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, launched a C-130 Hercules airplane at approximately 12:15 a.m. today to search for three aviators. Moreover, the 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Block Island, home ported in Fort Macon, N.C., has been on the scene throughout the morning. An HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City has also joined the search and is on the scene.

Details on how the E-2C Hawkeye aircraft crashed are under investigation by the United States Navy.