The Navy has announced that Lt. Hyrum Hanlon died Wednesday in the crash of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye off the coast of Virginia.
The service said the aircraft, assigned to Airborne Command and Control Squadron 120 out of Norfolk, crashed during routine flight operations near Wallops Island and Chincoteague, about 100 miles northeast of Norfolk, at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Hanlon, who was commissioned in May 2017 after graduating from Arizona State University, was found deceased in the aircraft. He joined VAW-120, which trains naval pilots, flight officers and aircrewmen to fly E-2 and C-2A Greyhound logistics support aircraft, 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., commanding officer of VAW-120, said in a Navy news release. “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.”
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Two other crew members were rescued from the crash and are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at a local hospital.
The incident is under investigation, and the Navy said initial reports indicate that the aircraft’s fuel tanks are intact and do not pose public health concerns.
