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The Electronic Attack Squadron’s EA-18G Growler jet crashed east of Mount Rainier Tuesday afternoon, according to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
An EA-18G Growler takes off from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during an exercise March 10, 2016. Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP
Two crew members missing after a fighter jet crashed into mountainous terrain in Washington state during a routine training flight have been pronounced dead, the US Navy announced on Sunday.
The Electronic Attack Squadron’s EA-18G Growler jet crashed east of Mount Rainier Tuesday afternoon, according to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Search teams, including a US Navy MH-60S helicopter, were launched from the air station to try to find the crew and the crash site.
Army Special Forces soldiers trained in mountaineering, high-altitude rescue and technical communications were brought in to reach the wreckage, which was located Wednesday by an air crew resting at about 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in an isolated, steep and heavily forested area to the east. of Mount Rainier, officials said.
The names of the airmen will not be released until a day after their next of kin have been notified, the Navy said in a statement Sunday, adding that the search and rescue effort evolved into a rescue and recovery operation. in the long term, at the origin of the accident. The accident remains under investigation.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commander of the Airmen’s Electronic Attack Squadron. “Our priority right now is caring for the families of our fallen Airmen. … We are grateful for the continued teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
Locating the missing crew members “as quickly and safely as possible” was the top priority, Capt. David Ganci, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Electronic Attack Wing, said Thursday.
The EA-18G Growler is similar to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and includes sophisticated electronic warfare devices. Most Growler squadrons are based on Whidbey Island. One squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
The “Zappers” were recently deployed on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The research took place near Mount Rainier, a towering active volcano covered in snowfields and glaciers year-round.
The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. For the past 15 years, the Growler has operated around the world in support of major actions, the Navy said. The plane places a pilot in front and an electronic operator behind them.
“The EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced technology in airborne electronic attack and is the Navy’s first line of defense in hostile environments,” the Navy said on its website. Each plane costs approximately $67 million.
Training exercises on military aircraft can be dangerous and sometimes result in accidents, injuries and deaths.
In May, an F-35 fighter jet en route from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles crashed after the pilot stopped to refuel in New Mexico. The pilot was the only person on board in this incident and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Last year, eight members of the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command were killed when a CV-22B Osprey plane they were flying in crashed off the coast of Japan.
Associated Press writer Jesse Bedayn contributed to this report from Denver.
