Navy ends search for missing Hawkeye pilot - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

Navy ends search for missing Hawkeye pilot

MANAMA, Bahrain — The U.S. Navy says it has called off search and rescue efforts for a pilot who went missing after his plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region, and the Department of Defense has declared him deceased.

The Navy said in a statement Saturday that Lt. Steven Zilberman’s plane went down in the North Arabian Sea on March 31 after it “experienced mechanical malfunctions.”

Zilberman’s plane, from Norfolk, Va.-based Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121, was returning to the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower following a mission supporting operations in Afghanistan.

Three other crew members survived the crash without significant injuries, but Zilberman couldn’t be found.

Zilberman, 31, was flying an E-2C Hawkeye, which is primarily used to detect incoming aircraft with its 24-foot diameter radar. Born in the Ukraine, Zilberman was from Columbus, Ohio, and had served in the Navy for eight years.

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