Two Navy sailors were injured and one died after a Navy E-2D Hawkeye crashed Wednesday night near Wildcat Marsh in Virginia.
The military aircraft, stationed out of Norfolk, was doing its routine flight procedures when it crashed, a Navy spokesperson said. It crashed at around 7:30 p.m. in the Chincoteague vicinity, according to a Navy press release.
The United States Coast Guard dispatched a 47-foot lifeboat in a search and rescue response, according to 13NewNow. Three sailors were present at the wreckage, one of which was found dead on arrival, according to the Navy. The deceased sailor’s name will not be released until the next of kin is notified.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and are committed to determining the cause of this incident,” Commander Martin Fentress Jr. said.
Maryland State Police assisted the two surviving crewmen in getting help at Wallops Island. They are being treated for “non-life-threatening injuries,” according to the Navy.
#UPDATE: According to the U.S. Navy, 2 people are hospitalized and 1 person is dead after an E-2D plane from Naval Station Norfolk crashed in Accomack County.
The aircraft was in routine flight operation prior to the crash, an official says. @13NewsNow pic.twitter.com/s2uErFkD5d
— Angelique Arintok 13News Now (@13AArintok) March 31, 2022
“The governor and the First Lady are keeping the aviators, their families, and the first responders in their thoughts and prayers,” a spokesperson for Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told 13NewNow.
The E-2D Hawkeye has “a 24-foot radar rotodome atop its upper fuselage,” which is used for “a variety of eye-in-the-sky capabilities for the Navy, including surveillance and communications relay,” according to the Military Times.
All fuel tanks were reported intact, with “no concerns to public health,” the Navy said.