Navy locates downed C-2A Greyhound that crashed into Philippine Sea, killing three

— -- The Navy announced late Friday that a team of deep water salvage experts last week located a downed C-2A Greyhound 18,500 feet below the Philippine Sea.

The C-2A Greyhound was transporting 11 military personnel to the USS Ronald Reagan on November 22 when it crashed into the Philippine Sea. After an exhaustive recovery effort that covered 1,000 square nautical miles, eight of the 11 sailors were rescued; three died.

According to a statement released by the Navy’s 7th Fleet, the team of salvage experts located the aircraft on December 29 using sensors that listen for “pings” emitted by the downed aircraft.

At 18,500 feet, “the salvage phase of this operation [will be] the deepest recovery attempt of an aircraft to date,” the Navy said, adding; “Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen sailors.”

The three deceased sailors were identified as Lt. Steven Combs, Airman Matthew Chialastri, and Airman Apprentice Bryan Grosso.