After days of searching in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. Navy announced that the two-person crew of the EA-18G Growler that crashed last week have been declared dead.
The Navy said that as of Sunday, Oct. 20 “Electronic Attack Wing Pacific has shifted from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations.”
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 said in the Navy’s announcement. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
The Navy did not identify the two aviators who were on the jet. Their names will not be released until at least 24 hours after their next of kin are notified, in accordance with military policy.
The plane took off from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island on Tuesday, Oct. 15 with a two-person crew on a “routine training exercise.” The plane, a variant of the F/A-18 fighter jet designed for electronic warfare, flew approximately 175 miles south of its home base before it crashed. The cause of the mishap is under investigation.
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Search and rescue efforts began shortly after the crash, with the Navy deploying several aircraft including a spy plane, but it took two days until teams located the wreckage, at “a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier.” Later updates described the area around the crash site as covered in snow. Soldiers from 1st Special Forces Group at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, who specialized in rescues and rough terrain, were brought in to aid Navy and local law enforcement in the search. Teams reached the area and “enough evidence was found at the crash site to determine the status of the crew,” a Navy spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
The Navy said that search crews in the Mount Rainier area are continuing to operate, with the mission of locating and recovering any debris left by the crash. The Navy plans to salvage what it can from the wreck. Personnel on site continue to search the expansive area, recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.