A United States Navy aircraft carrying 11 crew members and passengers crashed into the sea southeast of Okinawa at about 2:45 pm on Wednesday, according to the US 7th Fleet.

The names of the crew and passengers are being withheld pending next of kin notification.

The recovery mission is underway and physical condition of personnel will be evaluated by USS Ronald Reagan medical staff.

The aircraft was en-route to the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), which is currently operating in the West Pacific Ocean.

USS Ronald Reagan is conducting search and rescue operations. The cause of the crash is not known at this time.