3 sailors still missing as Navy continues 'relentless' search

Transport plane crashes into ocean

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three sailors are still missing at sea, as the U.S. Navy said it continues its “relentless” search.

A transport plane on the way from an air station in Japan, heading to an aircraft carrier in the Philippine Sea, crashed into the ocean.

A local naval aviation expert said that to the flight crew’s credit, eight people have been rescued.  Still, it’s another troubling scene for the Navy, in the waters off East Asia: This summer, warships crashed into commercial ships and 17 sailors died. The Secretary of the Navy is now asking for prayer.

“I would like everyone to take a moment and keep some of our Navy family, friends and loved ones in their thoughts and prayers,” Secretary Richard Spencer said.

A C-2 Greyhound was headed from Japan to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, 500 miles off of Okinawa.

This is the same type of plane I flew on last month, traveling from Naval Station Norfolk to the USS Harry S. Truman, off of Jacksonville. The Navy calls it a COD, which stands for Carrier Onboard Delivery.

“The C-2 Greyhound has been around since the late '70s,” retired Adm. Mark Fitzgerald said. “The accident record has been absolutely phenomenal … very few incidents. The airplane’s getting older, obviously."

Fitzgerald now lives in Fleming Island, after a career of flying for the Navy. Fitzgerald said the Greyhounds are reliable, and have been tested over time.

“The airplane has the same engine in it that (our) P3s have here in Jacksonville,” Fitzgerald said. “The same engine as the C-130 has in it. I've read 18,000 of those engines have been produced, so it's been a very reliable power plant."

News4Jax videographer Jud Hulon and I wore survival gear on our flight, which is gear that’s likely exactly like what the 11 people on board had on, on the COD that crashed.

Fitzgerald said it’s too early to learn why the plane went down, but easy to know the flight crew saved at least eight lives.

“They were probably not well-trained individuals like you,” Fitzgerald said. “They were probably sailors who were going off to permanently change stations, or they may have been, you know, (who knows what) they were? But they survived.”

Fitzgerald said it’s dangerous every time that a plane lands on or takes off from the moving deck of an aircraft carrier.

Dave Hecht, a commander with Naval Air Force Atlantic, said Wednesday the C-2 Greyhound is an extremely reliable aircraft. Their data goes back to 1980, and in 37 years, there has not been a single fatal crash.


About the Author:

Kent Justice co-anchors News4Jax's 5 p.m., 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts weeknights and reports on government and politics. He also hosts "This Week in Jacksonville," Channel 4's hot topics and politics public affairs show each Sunday morning at 9 a.m.