Navy aircraft crashes in Washington near Mount Rainier; search underway for 2 aboard
Posted on 10/16/2024
The whereabouts of two Navy crew members remain unknown after their fighter jet crashed Tuesday east of Mount Rainier in Washington state.
A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler was on a routine training flight when it crashed, the Navy said in a statement to USA TODAY. The aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, known as the “Zappers.”
A search team, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, to “locate the crew and examine the crash site,” the Navy said in its statement.
U.S. Navy: Navy parachutist crash lands on mother and daughter during San Francisco Fleet Week
Status of crew remains unknown after Growler crash
The aircraft crashed around 3:20 p.m. Pacific Time, the Navy said.
Search and rescue crews were thereafter dispatched from Whidbey Island, a naval air station in the Pacific Northwest where all but one Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons flying the EA-18G Growler are based.
"As of 7 p.m. on Oct. 15, the status of the two crew members remains unknown," the Navy said in its statement.
The effort continued as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Seattle Times.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The identities of the crew members have not been released.
Naval aircraft is part of 'Zappers' squadron
The aircraft is from Electronic Attack Squadron 130, also known as VAQ-130, based at Whidbey Island. The squadron, the Navy's oldest electronic warfare squadron, was nicknamed the “Zappers” when it was first commissioned in 1959.
In July, the squadron returned from a nine-month combat deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Southern Red Sea, where it executed strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, according to the Navy.
The first Growler test aircraft went into production in 2004 and made its first flight in 2006, according to the Navy. Built by Boeing, the aircraft’s unit cost is $67 million.
The story has been updated to add new information.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler was on a routine training flight when it crashed, the Navy said in a statement to USA TODAY. The aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, known as the “Zappers.”
A search team, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, to “locate the crew and examine the crash site,” the Navy said in its statement.
U.S. Navy: Navy parachutist crash lands on mother and daughter during San Francisco Fleet Week
Status of crew remains unknown after Growler crash
The aircraft crashed around 3:20 p.m. Pacific Time, the Navy said.
Search and rescue crews were thereafter dispatched from Whidbey Island, a naval air station in the Pacific Northwest where all but one Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons flying the EA-18G Growler are based.
"As of 7 p.m. on Oct. 15, the status of the two crew members remains unknown," the Navy said in its statement.
The effort continued as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Seattle Times.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The identities of the crew members have not been released.
Naval aircraft is part of 'Zappers' squadron
The aircraft is from Electronic Attack Squadron 130, also known as VAQ-130, based at Whidbey Island. The squadron, the Navy's oldest electronic warfare squadron, was nicknamed the “Zappers” when it was first commissioned in 1959.
In July, the squadron returned from a nine-month combat deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Southern Red Sea, where it executed strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, according to the Navy.
The first Growler test aircraft went into production in 2004 and made its first flight in 2006, according to the Navy. Built by Boeing, the aircraft’s unit cost is $67 million.
The story has been updated to add new information.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
Comments( 0 )
