THE TENSION: Update: Navy Plane Crashes, Search Continues

FILE PHOTO -- ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 2, 2007) – An E-2C Hawkeye, attached to the "Seahawks" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 126, launches from the flight deck of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Truman is underway in the Atlantic Ocean participating in the composite training unit exercise in preparation for deployment to the Persian Gulf. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Justin Lee Losack (RELEASED)

Open Thread:

This post has been updated a second time here.

The Associated Press reports crews continued searching by sea and by air Friday for three aviators missing since their Navy twin-engine radar plane crashed off North Carolina's coast Wednesday night.

"Nothing has changed," said Mike Maus, a spokesman with the Norfolk-based Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force. "The SAR (search and rescue) effort is still ongoing."

The E-2C Hawkeye turbo prop plane had just launched from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman when it went down into the Atlantic Ocean in clear weather about 11 p.m. Wednesday.

E-2C Hawkeye Crashes, Navy Conducting Search
8/16/2007
From Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic Public Affairs

ATLANTIC OCEAN (NNS) -- A Navy E-2C Hawkeye aircraft from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 120 crashed at sea Aug. 15, while conducting operations on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

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.

The identities of the crew are not being released at this time.

The aircraft crashed at approximately 11:00 p.m. following its launch from Harry S. Truman. The ship was approximately 150 miles southeast of the Virginia Capes conducting routine training operations.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

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.