NORFOLK, Va. — The U.S. Navy said Lt. Hyrum Hanlon was the sailor who was killed in the E-2D Hawkeye crash on Virginia's Eastern Shore on Wednesday.
According to the Navy, Hanlon was assigned to Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 120. He was commissioned in the Navy from Arizona State University in May 2017 and reported to VAW-120 on Jan. 31, 2021.
"It takes a courageous and patriotic person to devote their life to the selflessness of serving in the armed forces," said Cmdr. Martin Fentress Jr., Commanding Officer of VAW-120. "Hyrum embodied those characteristics and will be truly missed by his family and the Hawkeye community. We sincerely appreciate the public respecting the family’s privacy during this difficult time as they mourn his loss."
The crash happened Wednesday around 7:30 p.m. off the Wildcat Marsh, which is near Chincoteague, Virginia, a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) spokesperson said.
A Navy spokesperson said the E-2D Hawkeye was doing a routine flight operation. The plane, an advanced tactical airborne early warning aircraft, is based out of Naval Station Norfolk and assigned to an East Coast Airborne Command and Control Squadron.
This is the second Hawkeye aircraft to have gone down on the Eastern Shore in recent years. An E-2C Hawkeye crashed in a farmer's field in August of 2020. All four crew members bailed out safely before that crash.
The U.S. Navy said it is working with state and local officials on the salvage planning efforts of the E-2D aircraft. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.