The Navy has identified the officer who was killed in the crash of an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft earlier this week.
Lieutenant Hyrum Hanlon died Wednesday after crashing while "conducting routine flight operations" near Wallops Island and Chincoteague, Virginia, the Navy said in a release obtained by Newsweek on Friday.
"It takes a courageous and patriotic person to devote their life to the selflessness of serving in the armed forces," Commander Martin Fentress Jr., commanding officer of the Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 120, said in a statement.
"Hyrum embodied those characteristics and will be truly missed by his family and the Hawkeye community," added Fentress. "We sincerely appreciate the public respecting the family's privacy during this difficult time as they mourn his loss."
The Navy delayed the release of Hanlon's name for two days to allow for his family to be notified of his death first.
Hanlon was commissioned in the Navy from Arizona State University in May 2017 and reported for duty with VAW-120 on January 31, 2021.
VAW-120's mission is to train Navy pilots, officers and aircrewmen to fly and operate the Hawkeye aircraft, which is flown by 11 fleet squadrons stationed in Norfolk, Virginia; Point Mugu, California; and Iwakuni, Japan.
The Hawkeye is an early-warning aircraft equipped with special equipment that allows it to detect other aircraft by intercepting radar and communication signals. It is also capable of landing on and taking off from Navy aircraft carriers.
Hanlon was the only Hawkeye crewmember to lose their life in Wednesday's crash. His body was recovered at the crash site with assistance from the Worcester County Fire Department Dive Team.
Two of Hanlon's fellow crewmembers were taken to a local hospital to be treated for what the Navy said were "non-life threatening" injuries following the crash. The names of the injured sailors will not be released for privacy reasons.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Navy said it was working with state and local authorities to carefully salvage the aircraft while keeping the "health and safety of the local community" as "a top priority during recovery efforts."
"Overflight aircraft confirmed no pollution or discharge of fuel in the area," the Navy said in Friday's release. "Salvage operations are expected to proceed in accordance with standard procedures which consider all environmental impacts."
An earlier model of the Hawkeye aircraft, an E-2C, crashed into a field in the same area of Virginia in August 2020, with all four crewmembers safely bailing out before the crash, according to local ABC affiliate WVEC.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jpymrqqRnLKwwdJmp56qo6S7brrAr7BmoZSau7W1xaKcrGWcnrK2wMSnmKesXaC2rbjEnWShmaegsrqxjJypmquYYn53hZNsbm4%3D