Search Called-off for Missing VAW-120 Crew-UPDATED 17 Aug 07
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NORFOLK — The Navy gave up its hunt for three missing aviators this afternoon and declared them deceased after searching the ocean off North Carolina for them since Wednesday night. Navy spokesman Mike Maus said the Navy concluded there was no chance the three had survived the crash of their E-2C Hawkeye aircraft into the ocean shortly after it launched from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman for a training flight. The Truman was conducting maneuvers about 50 miles east of Wilmington, N.C. Maus said searchers today found pieces of the plane but not the aviators. He said the cause of the crash is under investigation. The Navy did not immediately identify the victims. The plane was part of the Norfolk-based squadron VAW 120, which trains pilots and flight officers for deployment. |
Crew identified here.
A tough, heartbreaking business this can be… SJS
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The Navy and Coast Guard continue today to search for three crew members aboard a twin-engine Navy radar plane that crashed late Wednesday night while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. The crew of the E-2C Hawkeye from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120 went into the Atlantic about 11 p.m. following its launch from the Truman, the Navy said. The Truman is training 150 miles southeast of the Virginia Capes. The aviators, whose names have not been released, were conducting carrier qualifications when the accident occurred, said Mike Maus, spokesman for Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force. An air and sea search is being conducted by units from the Truman, the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Coast Guard. The Truman is in the final stages of training for deployment. |
As requested boss. All our prayers are with their families and VAW-120
SJA#1
My prayers go out to the pilots, their family, freinds, and colleagues.
I hope we find ’em all in good shape.