Navy Plane Crashes in Virginia, Crew Bails Out

An F/A-18E Super Hornet lines up on a catapult on the flight deck while an E-2D Hawkeye takes off from the the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Arabian Sea, on Jan.11, 2020. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Isaac Esposito/File Photo/Handout via Reuters)

An E-2 Hawkeye Navy surveillance plane crashed in a field on Virginia’s eastern shore on Monday, but all its occupants were able to bail from the aircraft.

A Navy spokeswoman told news outlets on Monday night that the plane crashed around 3:50 p.m. Monday afternoon.

“The two pilots and two crew members bailed out of the aircraft safely through the main cabin door. At the time of the crash, the E-2 was conducting a training flight,” said a statement from the U.S. Navy. “The crew are required to strap on the parachutes when they get aboard the aircraft.”

Two pilots and two crew members were on board the E-2 before bailing out. No injuries were reported.

“Initial reports indicate no structures or personnel on the ground were damaged or injured in the mishap,” the Navy said. “The cause of the mishap is under investigation.”

Officials said the plane went down near the Wallops Island flight facility near the Virginia-Maryland border.

A photo posted online showed the plane crashed in a field. Local media reported that no structures on the ground were damaged.

Stephen Gardner, a local man, told 13News Now that there were “a lot of pieces in the field everywhere, disintegrated.”

This is the second military aircraft incident in Virginia in the past month. On Aug. 10, a Maryland-based Air Force UH-1N Huey made an emergency landing after someone shot at it from the ground. That incident, which left a crew member injured, is under investigation.