The U.S. Navy has called off the search for an aviator missing since his plane went down after a mission over Afghanistan, officials confirmed. Lt. Steven Zilberman, 31, a Ukrainian-born pilot from Columbus, Ohio, was declared dead and the rescue effort ended Saturday, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported. Zilberman's E-2C Hawkeye surveillance plane was returning to the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower when it reported mechanical problems and crashed 5 miles from the ship, the newspaper was quoted as saying by the United Press International (UPI). Three other crew members bailed out and were rescued, the Navy said. The Eisenhower and other ships, along with Navy and Air Force aircraft, searched for the missing pilot over 5,300 square miles of ocean.
