US spy plane crashes into Arabian Sea

The E-2C Hawkeye aircraft "was returning from conducting operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom" when it malfunctioned, the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said in a statement.

i hope they find the missing aviator, i wonder what could have caused the malfunction.

A Hawkeye isn't a "spy plane". It's a Navy AWACS.

Hope they do find the crew.

think this is a false flag to start a new war

reply to post by NightFlyer96


I am realy flabbergasted by your comment NightFlyer...

A small nanoscule accident like this to trigger a war?!!!!!!?

Explain that. Realy, i want to see a reply in the coming week. If you dont post a comment to further elaborate your flawed statement, then you are a derailing troll. (AKA Flaimbait.)

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That is sad but at least 3 of the 4 have made it out alive.

I hope that the last person is found intime. Lucky for us, the Persian gulf isnt cold but warm so he/she will be alive for a couple of days.

Planes fail, its called an ACCIDENT!

I really doudt that a Hawkeye causes WWIII...sheesh.

As for the missing crew member depending on how the plane went down, he might not got out!

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the official name used by the U.S. Government for the War in Afghanistan,

As far as I know Taliban doesn’t have any (air force and air traffic) that need (Hawke eye) to spy on their actions..! unless….!!

Originally posted by amkia
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) is the official name used by the U.S. Government for the War in Afghanistan,

As far as I know Taliban doesn’t have any (air force and air traffic) that need (Hawke eye) to spy on their actions..! unless….!!

Hawkeyes can track ground targets, provide navigational data, coordinate airstrikes, relay communications and multiple other tasks.

The problem with the Hawkeye is the large radome on top of the aircraft prevents the use of ejection seats. To escape an aircraft in trouble the aircrew has to use the entrance hatch to do a manual bailout. There have been very few times that the entire crew has been able to escape an aircraft in trouble.

reply to post by amkia


The E2 Hawkeye is for all kinds of stuff...

Navy - E2 Hawkeye

Description
The E-2 Hawkeye is the Navy's all-weather, carrier-based tactical battle management airborne early warning, command and control aircraft. The E-2 is a twin engine, five crewmember, high-wing turboprop aircraft with a 24-foot diameter radar rotodome attached to the upper fuselage.

Features
The Hawkeye provides all-weather airborne early warning, airborne battle management and command and control functions for the Carrier Strike Group and Joint Force Commander. Additional missions include surface surveillance coordination, air interdiction, offensive and defensive counter air control, close air support coordination, time critical strike coordination, search and rescue airborne coordination and communications relay. An integral component of the Carrier Strike Group air wing, the E-2C uses computerized radar, Identification Friend or Foe and electronic surveillance sensors to provide early warning, threat analysis against potentially hostile air and surface targets.

Lots of things in the above that are would fit into what's going on in the region.

Hi ..JIMC5499

Thank you for your comment and explanations, but that wasn’t my point.. I was thinking about the Iranian Airspace not the Afghanistan mess..!


U-2, SR-71 or simple intelligence gathering spy satellite would do the same or even better, why (E-2 Hawkeye)..??

From wiki..


The Grumman E-2 Hawkeye is an American all-weather, aircraft carrier-capable tactical Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft..


en.wikipedia.org...

The presence of the US 5th fleet in that region, worries me a lot... They are not there to sitting idle to watching Taliban’s movements..!

That was my point..!

Originally posted by amkia
U-2, SR-71 or simple intelligence gathering spy satellite would do the same or even better, why (E-2 Hawkeye)..??

LOL Why not the Hawkeye? Out of your list it's the most suitable (btw one of your options is no longer in service... Can you guess which one?).

Originally posted by amkia
U-2, SR-71 or simple intelligence gathering spy satellite would do the same or even better, why (E-2 Hawkeye)..??

U2 and SR-71 are both retired from service.

E-2C is an AWACS, it is not a spy plane. It is up in the air so it can give aerial command and control to any American forces within it's operational radius, including ground units, naval, and air (both manned and UAV). AWACS are integral for the American air supremacy strategy and they are usually in the air.

reply to post by Dimitri Dzengalshlevi


actually the U2 is still in service in Afghanistan - it was due to be out of service by now but it's just too damned good at what it does...

reply to post by Now_Then


haha yeah, I guess I was wrong about the U2. Then again, a high-altitude spyplane can fly with impunity over a place like Afghanistan so why not keep it in service?

Plus spyplanes can be more reliable than satalite uplinks, especially in terms of overcast... not saying there's much overcast in Afghanistan though.

The troubling part of the report is they consistently say 4 crew, I worked on E-2's, B&C versions for 6 years and they carry a *5* man crew.
Why do they keep saying 4? I flew in them several times, bumpy buggers, and only time les than 5 man crew went was for
1) Maintenance flight
2) airshow/ cross country
3) somebody needed to get some hours
4) training, where usually only pilot and co-pilot flew
I don't get why only 4, unless system upgrade has eliminated need for 5th man.
I was there during the late 70's.

reply to post by LAUGHING-CAT


The normal crew is five, but they only had four on that flight.

Apparently the engine in question lost oil, and the pilot stayed with the plane to give the rest of the crew the chance to bail out.

He is being awarded the DFC, posthumously.

reply to post by COOL HAND


RIP that pilot.

reply to post by COOL HAND


UPDATE:

The starboard propeller shut down, causing the plane to become unstable and plunge. Zilberman ordered his three crew mates, including the co-pilot, to bail. He manually held the plane as steady as possible so they could jump.

"He held the plane level for them to do so, despite nearly uncontrollable forces. His three crewmen are alive today because of his actions," Navy Rear Adm. Philip S. Davidson wrote to Zilberman's parents.

Zilberman went down with the aircraft on March 31. The 1997 graduate of Bexley High School was declared dead three days later, his body lost at sea.

this man is a hero.

Navy pilot's last act

[edit on 4.23.10 by toreishi]

Originally posted by toreishi
this man is a hero.

+1

Well done, Sir.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.