Goes Down Near MCAS Cherry Point

A 1960s-era Grumman US-2B Tracker aircraft crashed Thursday evening near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, injuring the five people onboard.

WNCN-17 reports one person is in critical condition following the accident, which occurred in a wooded area about three miles south of the coastal airfield. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The aircraft was scheduled to participate in the 2007 MCAS Cherry Point Air Show, which begins Friday. According to the show's website, the plane was to be on static display through the weekend.

The Grumman S-2 was the first purpose-built anti-submarine aircraft to enter service with the US Navy, that combined both detection and weaponry in a single airframe. Powered by twin Wright Cyclone radial engines, US-2Bs were utility transport versions of the airframe.

Though used predominantly by the Navy, the US Marine Corps also operated a handful of Trackers. After the type was retired from US military service in the late 1970s, several aircraft were converted into firebombers, or sold overseas.

FMI: www.cherrypointairshow.com/