A US Navy E-2C Hawkeye crashed in Virginia, but the crew managed to bail out safely

• A US Navy E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft crashed in Virginia on Monday, a Naval Air Forces Atlantic spokesperson told Insider in an emailed statement.
• The four-man crew was able to bail out of the aircraft safely.
• The Navy says that initial reports indicate their were no structural damages or injuries to people on the ground caused by the crash, which is currently under investigation.

A US Navy plane crashed in Virginia Monday afternoon, Naval Air Forces Atlantic spokeswoman Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg told Insider in a statement.

The plane, an E-2C Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft assigned to Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 120 Fleet Replacement Squadron at Naval Station Norfolk, crashed in Accomack County, Virginia just before 4 pm.

The plane was conducting a training flight at the time of the incident.

The crew, which consisted of two pilots and two other crewmembers, was able to safely bail out of the aircraft and was recovered. The pilots and aircrew are required to wear parachutes in the aircraft. AIRLANT says that initial reports indicate that the crash did not cause any damage to structures or harm to anyone on the ground.

The Navy says the cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

The E-2C Hawkeye is an all-weather, twin-turboprop aircraft and an important part of the carrier air wing. Flying at high altitudes, these aircraft provide not only airborne early warning capabilities, but also command and control functions.

Equipped with high-end sensors, these aircraft can carry out surveillance missions, coordinate strikes and intercepts, facilitate communications, and support search and rescue operations as needed.

The E-2C, which is being replaced by the newer E-2D, has been operational since the early 1970s.