A Navy anti-submarine plane crashed in flames in Tangier Sound yesterday, injuring two crew members who parachuted into the water as their craft was going down.

The two were fished out of about 8 feet of water just east of Bloodsworth Island by Maryland Department of Natural Resources police who were on routine patrol in the area about 3:30 p.m., according to Rob Gould, a DNR spokesman.

The pilot of the S-3 Viking, Cmdr. Sean Brennan, suffered burns and a broken right shoulder and was flown to the Francis Scott Key Medical Center burn unit, the Navy said. He was listed in critical but stable condition there today.

Lt. Cmdr. Steve Eastburg, flight officer aboard the aircraft, was treated for minor cuts and bruises and later released from the Patuxent River Naval Hospital.

A Naval board of inquiry is to be appointed to investigate the crash.

The jet-powered, twin-engine aircraft went down while on a routine test flight from Patuxent River Naval Air Station, the Navy said.