The remains of two crew members of a US Navy plane that crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington state have been discovered, the Navy announced Sunday afternoon.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, Airmen’s Electronic Attack Squadron commander, in the press release.
“Our priority at this time is caring for the families of our fallen Airmen. … We are grateful for the teamwork underway to safely recover the deceased.”
Ganci said they were only able to identify the missing crew 24 hours after their families were informed of their status.
The jet – an EA-18G Growler aircraft – was carrying two crew members when it crashed during a routine training flight Tuesday, the Navy said in an earlier statement.
THE wreckage of crashed plane was spotted Wednesday around 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time by aerial search teams on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier, after a widespread search lasting several days.
The research took place near Mount Rainier, a towering active volcano covered in snowfields and glaciers year-round. Search teams faced remote terrain and harsh weather conditions.
The aircraft was based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, northwest of Washington.
The cause of the accident was under investigation.
The crashed plane is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, which prides itself on being the Navy’s oldest electronic warfare squadron.
According to the squadron’s website, the EA-18G Growler’s sensors and weapons “provide the warfighter with a lethal and survivable weapons system to counter current and emerging threats.”
Last December, a Navy surveillance plane passed a track at a military base in Hawaii and dove into Kaneohe Bay, but the nine passengers on board were not injured.
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