Navy Plane Crashes in Pacific With 11 Aboard

In what is believed to be another fatal accident for the 7th Fleet, a Navy plane with 11 passengers and crew on board crashed into the Pacific Ocean Wednesday. The C-2 Greyhound was on its way to the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier. Japan's defense minister, Itsunori Onodera, said eight of the 11 people were found after the crash 90 miles northwest of the Japanese atoll Okinotorishima, but it was unclear whether they were found dead or alive, the AP reports. The Navy says the cause of the crash is still unknown.

The aircraft was taking part in joint US-Japan naval exercises in the waters around Okinawa. Onodera told reporters that the Navy said the crash may have been the result of engine trouble, reports Reuters, which notes that C-2 Greyhound propeller aircraft have been in service for decades and are due to be replaced by Ospreys. (The commander of the Japan-based 7th Fleet was fired in August after two accidents killed 17 sailors.)