Navy identifies officer killed in plane crash near Virginia-Maryland coast

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — Navy officials identified the service member killed when a military airplane crashed on the eastern coast of Virginia near the Maryland border on Wednesday, authorities said.

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In a statement, Navy officials said that Lt. Hyrum Hanlon was pronounced dead after the E-2D Hawkeye aircraft he was aboard crashed in the water near Wildcat Marsh in Accomack County.

Two other crew members on board the aircraft suffered injuries that are not considered life-threatening, WAVY-TV reported. They were rescued by Maryland State Police officers and taken to Wallops Island for treatment, according to the television station.

According to the Shore Daily News, the aircraft crashed north of the Chincoteague Causeway at 7:32 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. Two crew members were immediately rescued, the newspaper reported.

The servicemen were flying out of Norfolk on a routine flight operation when the plane crashed, WRIC-TV reported. The Worcester County Fire Department Dive Team found Hanlon dead in the aircraft, according to WAVY.

>> 1 dead, 2 rescued after Navy plane crashes near Virginia-Maryland coastal border

Hanlon, who joined the Navy from Arizona State University in May 2017, reported for duty with the Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) on Jan. 31, 2021, according to the news release.

“It takes a courageous and patriotic person to devote their life to the selflessness of serving in the armed forces,” Cmdr. Martin Fentress Jr., Commanding Officer of VAW-120, said in a statement. “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 cause of the incident is still under investigation, Navy officials said in the news release.

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