Manama: A US Navy radar aircraft with four crew members on board crashed into the Arabian Sea at around 2pm on Wednesday, the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet said in a statement.
"An E-2C Hawkeye from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121 stationed aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) crashed at sea while operating in the North Arabian Sea," the Navy said. "Three of the four crew members have been recovered and search and rescue efforts for the fourth crew member are currently under way."
According to the Navy, the E-2C was returning from "conducting operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) from Afghanistan when the aircraft experienced mechanical malfunctions and the crew performed a controlled bailout."
The Navy did not identify the four crewmen, pending notification of next-of-kin, but said that the incident was under investigation.
