Navy crews begin salvage of Harrier that crashed into the ocean

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The Associated Press

An AV-8B Harrier with Marine Attack Training Squadron 203 takes off from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., March 21, 2016. VMAT-203’s mission is to train Marine Corps aviators to pilot Harriers in the fleet. The Harrier was the first Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing-capable jet in the Marine inventory, giving Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanders new flexibility on the battlefield. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Mackenzie Gibson/Released)

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, N.C. — Navy crews have started efforts to salvage a Marine Corps Harrier jet that crashed into the ocean off the coast of North Carolina earlier this month.

A Corps spokeswoman tells local news outlets the jet based at the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station crashed in the water off Wrightsville Beach on May 6.

The pilot was able to eject and was rescued by a helicopter crew. He was hospitalized and is now recovering at home.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

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