A US Navy plane crashed nearby Mount Rainier in Washington state and a search was underway for the plane’s two crew members, the Navy said.
The EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed east of Mount Rainier Tuesday afternoon during a routine training flight, the Navy said in a statement.
As of Tuesday evening, the status of the crew members was unknown, the Navy said. Their identities have not been released.
The aircraft was based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, northwest of Washington.
Multiple search and rescue assets were launched from the air station Tuesday for the search effort.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Heavy snow and fog in places were forecast for Mount Rainier Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Between 5 and 9 inches of snow were possible.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a flight ban around the search area, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported.
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.
