1 Sailor Dead, 2 Injured in Navy Hawkeye Crash Off Virginia Coast

Navy Hawkeye Crash Virginia — A Navy E-2D Hawkeye crashed off the coast of Virginia late Wednesday, March 30, 2022, killing one sailor and wounding two others. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elliot Schaudt.

One sailor is dead and two others hurt after a Navy E-2D Hawkeye crashed Wednesday, March 30, off the coast of Virginia.

Few details have been released about the crash, but the Navy confirmed the Hawkeye and crew were part of an East Coast Airborne Command and Control Squadron based out of Norfolk, Virginia, and crashed near Wallops Island and Chincoteague, 100 miles northeast of Virginia Beach.

The aircraft and its crew were conducting routine flight operations when the plane crashed at approximately 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Maryland State Police rescued two sailors and rushed them to a hospital on Wallops Island where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a Navy news release.

“Unfortunately, the third crew member was found deceased in the aircraft. The Worcester County Fire Department Dive Team supported the search and recovery of the deceased,” the release reads. “The name of the crew member killed will not be released at this time, pending primary next of kin notification.”

The Hawkeye is an early warning command and control aircraft equipped with the most advanced airborne radar in the world. It is used by the Navy to coordinate missions on land, at sea, and in the air, as well as in rescue operations and managing communication networks.

Dustin Jones

Dustin Jones is a former senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine covering military and intelligence news. Jones served four years in the Marine Corps with tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. He studied journalism at the University of Colorado and Columbia University. He has worked as a reporter in Southwest Montana and at NPR. A New Hampshire native, Dustin currently resides in Southern California.