--- title: "Navy identifies sailor killed in radar plane crash off Virginia coast" description: "Navy Lt. Hyrum Hanlon was killed on March 30 when an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar plane crashed off the Virginia coast." date: "2022-03-31" modified: "2022-04-01" authors: - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol/" - name: "Max Hauptman" job_title: "Breaking News Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/max-hauptman/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-e-2d-hawkeye-fatal-crash-sailor-identified/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Military Branches" - "Navy" - "News" - "United States" tags: - "Crash" - "death" --- # Navy identifies sailor killed in radar plane crash off Virginia coast ![Hyrum Hanlon]() *Navy Lt. Hyrum Hanlon was killed on March 30 when an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar plane crashed off the Virginia coast. (Navy photo.)* The Navy has identified the sailor who was killed on Wednesday when an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar plane crashed off the Virginia coast as Lt. Hyrum Hanlon. Hanlon was assigned to Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120 at the time of his death, Navy officials said. He was commissioned after graduating from Arizona State University in 2017 and he joined the squadron in January 2021. “It takes a courageous and patriotic person to devote their life to the selflessness of serving in the armed forces,” Cmdr. Martin Fentress Jr., the squadron’s commanding officer, 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.” Two other crew members were rescued by Maryland State Police and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Navy. The plane went down in the water near Wallops Island and Chincoteague, Virginia. The Navy is working with state and local officials to plan to salvage the aircraft. Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash. The aircraft, assigned to an East Coast Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW), crashed around 7:30 p.m. The Worcester County Fire Department Dive Team supported the search and recovery of the deceased, who was found in the aircraft. ![]() *E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft conduct a test flight near St. Augustine, Florida in 2009. (U.S. Navy)* The crash marks the seventh Class A Aviation Mishap for the Navy in the fiscal year, along with five for the Marine Corps in that same timeframe. Just two weeks before the crash, [four Marines]() assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing were killed when their MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft [crashed]() in Norway during a training exercise. The[ E-2 Hawkeye]() is the Navy’s all-weather, carrier-based tactical battle management airborne early warning, command and control aircraft, notable for its distinctive 24-foot diameter radar rotodome attached to the upper fuselage. In August 2020, an [E-2C Hawkeye]() assigned to Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 120 Fleet Replacement Squadron at Naval Station Norfolk crashed, also in the vicinity of Wallops Island. Two crewmembers and two passengers bailed out safely. ***Update:*** *This story was updated on April 1 after the Navy identified Lt. Hyrum Hanlon.* ## What’s new on Task & Purpose - **After training together for years, Air Force pilots are watching Ukrainian friends** [**fight for their lives**]() - **An Army vet’s realization in Ukraine:** [**‘So horrible or heartbreaking that you can’t continue’**]() - **‘They own the long clock’ —** [**How the Russian military is starting to adapt**]() **in Ukraine** - [**‘We strike at night, when the Russians sleep’**]() **— How Ukraine is stalking Russian armor with drones** - [**The leg tuck is officially dead**]() **and other changes coming to the Army Combat Fitness Test** **Want to write for Task & Purpose?** [**Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on** [**our homepage.**]() ## Author Jeff Schogol is the senior Pentagon reporter for Task & Purpose. He reports on both the Defense Department as a whole as well as individual services, covering a variety of topics that include personnel, policy, military justice, deployments, and technology. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Twitter]()