The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
The Navy continued searching Thursday for a crew member missing from a plane crash Wednesday in the Arabian Sea.
The E-2C Hawkeye from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 was en route back to the Norfolk-based carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower from a mission over Afghanistan when it experienced mechanical difficulties. The plane was about five miles from the carrier when it crashed.
Three crew members bailed out and were rescued within minutes.
The search for the fourth aviator has involved the Eisenhower, the destroyer Carney, the fast combat support ship Supply, KC-10 and KC-135 tankers, and P-3, U-2 and RC-135 aircraft, the Navy said.
“Our resolve and hope for finding our shipmate has not wavered,” said Rear Adm. Phil Davidson, commander of Carrier Strike Group 8. “We have been and will continue to bring every available resource and capability to help in conducting this search.”
The identities of the crew members are being withheld until their next of kin are notified.
The crash is under investigation.
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Anyone remember the COD doing a belly slide at VAW-120 in '92
Does anyone remember when Lcdr Paula H Bond landed a C2-Greyhound with gear up in 1992 at VAW-120? We all referred to her as Lcdr COD Slider after that. I remember they brought it to the hanger and put a big fat tarp over it. The maintenance chief told us to fix the COD, so we ordered a bunch of attennas and stuff to patch it up, but lo and behold, one night when I was on hanger watch this flat bed truck came in and hauled the thing off. Does anyone know what happened after that? And what happened to Paula H Bond? She transferred somewhere, but no one would say. I heard that she got promoted after that.
Either way…
…an American service man/woman (pilot?) may have sacrificed his/her life for the survival of that aircraft's crew.
From the perspective of a 27 year Navy veteran...God speed.
Bail Out or Ditching???
Did they bail out or did they ditch? Maybe some bailed out and then one of the pilots ditched the plane. ???????
Just speculation but the CAPC would be the last one out
If the mechanical emergency affected control of the ac (structural damage, flight control system, pitch trim, pitchlocked prop etc. the PC may have had to stay at the controls to get the last aviator out.
I believe kaye is correct
Kaye, I believe you are correct. The capc rode it in to save the others. My prayers are with him and his family.
thoughts and prayers
My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and crew members. Having been on a ship that lost an entire helicopter crew I know the feeling of loss the crew is feeling.
Five miles from the carrier?
"Plane Guard" should have been there in no time!
Quick rescue
WAVY had a little more detail about the rescue and it sounds like the helicopters made the first pick up within 10 - 15 minutes after the crash, the second pick up was about 5 minutes after the first and the third was 10 minutes after that (the article listed the times). This article could lead you to think otherwise but it sounds to me from WAVY that it was a pretty quick pickup.
Quick rescue
WAVY had a little more detail about the rescue and it sounds like the helicopters made the first pick up within 10 - 15 minutes after the crash, the second pick up was about 5 minutes after the first and the third was 10 minutes after that (the article listed the times). This article could lead you to think otherwise but it sounds to me from WAVY that it was a pretty quick pickup.
Prayers
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Squadron and family of the still missing crew member.