CHINCOTEAGUE, Va.- Lieutenant Hyrum Hanlon was commissioned in 2017.
He had been with his Norfolk squadron since January of last year.
On Friday, his commanding officer Martin Fentress Jr. recalled him as courageous and patriotic.
"Hyrum embodied those characteristics and will be truly missed by his family and the hawkeye community," Fentress Jr. said. "We sincerely appreciate the public respecting the family's privacy during this difficult time as they mourn his loss."
As the family grieves, the mystery of this crash continues. Aviation expert John Cox says that investigators will look for pieces that are out of place or are not commonly found in the plane. They will also try to find recordings between pilots and air traffic control or other planes.
"This way you begin to assemble the pieces to this jigsaw puzzle and if the evidence begins to get you down a more likely path and then you look to see does the evidence show to support that hypothesis," Cox said. "And little bit by little bit you narrow it down and you end up with a probable cause."
The main job of the E2-D Advanced Hawkeye is to take off from the ship and track any hostile aircraft that could threaten the fleet.
"They do wonderful things but aerodynamically it's very challenging and it requires a special skill set on the part of the pilots and that's the reason that the training for these type of aircrafts is so extensive," Cox said.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company says it found the two surviving crew members on the wing of the airplane. Cox says that means the plane was able to decelerate enough that they were able to find a way out. Those crew members were treated at local hospitals and are expected to be okay.
The navy says an inspection confirms the crash did not pollute or discharge any fuel in the area. Salvage operations for the aircraft are being planned.
In a press release, they call the crash a "mishap" and say the investigation continues.