Search For Survivors Called Off Friday

The three naval aviators onboard an E-2C Hawkeye reconnaissance plane that crashed Wednesday off the North Carolina coast have been identified, after the US Navy and Coast Guard called off their search for survivors on Friday. 

Military officials identified the victims as Lt. Cameron N. Hall, 30, of Natchitoches, LA; Lt. Ryan K. Betton, 31, of Collinsville, VA; and Lt. j.g. Jerry R. Smith, 26, of Greenville, ME.

Hall, a naval flight officer and instructor, was with the Norfolk-based Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120 since 2006, the Associated Press reported. Betton and Smith were also pilots -- the former had been instructing since 2005, while Smith was a student since June 2006.

As ANN reported, the aircraft had just launched from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman on a training flight, when it went down in clear weather Wednesday night.

Norfolk-based Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force spokesman Mike Maus said each pilot had survival gear, which included an automatically inflating life vest, a signal flare, emergency radio, and whistle. The Hawkeye was also equipped with emergency life rafts and parachutes.

The crew was reportedly practicing carrier qualification exercises, and had completed several takeoffs and landings prior to the accident. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

FMI: www.navy.mil