U.S. Navy plane crashes into Pacific

The U.S. Navy said it had recovered eight of 11 passengers aboard a Navy transport plane that crashed into the western Pacific Ocean on Wednesday afternoon. The Navy in a tweet said the eight rescued people, who are in good condition, are on board the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier as the search for the three others missing continues. The C-2 twin-propeller plane was bringing passengers and cargo from Japan to the USS Ronald Reagan, operating in the Philippine Sea during a joint U.S.-Japan naval exercise. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters that the aircraft crashed into the Pacific about 90 miles northwest of Okinotorishima, a Japanese atoll. The U.S. Navy said the cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The U.S. 7th Fleet, headquartered in Japan, has dealt with two fatal accidents this year that killed 17 sailors. The accidents resulted in the firing of eight senior naval officers, including the fleet’s commander.