Virginia ? A Navy surveillance aircraft crashed into the Atlantic during a training exercise, and crews searched Thursday for the three aviators who were aboard, authorities said.

“We’re still conducting an active search and rescue mission,” Navy spokesman Mike Maus said Thursday, about 12 hours after the twin-engine turbo prop went down in the ocean off the North Carolina coast.

The E-2C Hawkeye crashed in clear weather about 11 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, Maus said. He did not know whether the plane sent out a distress call.

The cause of the crash was being investigated.