Virginia – A US Navy “Hawkeye” plane crashed in the coastal area of the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday night killing one. Two others were rescued.
According to the officials, E2-D Navy aircraft based at the Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval complex in the world and was on a routine exercise when it was unfortunately plunged into the waters near the Chincoteague around 7:45 pm.
According to the Navy, the five-seater plane had three crew members on board at the time of the crash.
The rescued individuals suffered injuries and had broken limbs. It is reported that their injuries are not life-threatening.
Another occupant of the plane was strapped on the flight as the aircraft’s nose-dived into water. He was found dead in the aircraft. His body was recovered from the plane with the help of the divers belonging to the fire department of Worcester County.
Local rescue crews and US Coast guards immediately responded to the crash news and arrived at the site to perform rescue operations. The crash site is said to be approximately 150 miles in the southeast of Washington D.C.
The Navy announced that an investigation has been started regarding the crash. The names of the crew members were not released. It was also made public that these kinds of small aircraft are assigned to East Coast Airborne Command and Control Squadrons.
These kinds of aircraft – E-2 Hawkeye are mostly used for air interdiction, surveillance, and perform various other warning functions. It usually has space for 5 crew members. It is a recent model and is almost 57 feet in length.
There has been a rise in accidents and crashes involving aircraft of the US Navy. Just last month a helicopter crashed during a training mission at the U.S Naval facility located in Hawaii which resulted in the death of four people.
In early March this year, another F-35 fighter jet fell in the South China sea after trying to land on the aircraft carrier. This crash also resulted in seven injured American sailors.