US Navy Searching for Two Crew Members After Training Accident
The U.S. Navy is currently conducting a search operation for two aviators following the crash of an EA-18G Growler jet during a routine training flight near Mount Rainier. The incident occurred at approximately 3:23 PM on Tuesday, and search teams, including a U.S. Navy helicopter, are actively searching for the crew and assessing the crash site. It’s unclear if the crew members were able to eject before the crash, which remains under investigation.
The EA-18G Growler, a sophisticated electronic warfare aircraft, is primarily stationed at Whidbey Island, with operations supporting various military actions globally since its introduction in 2008. The aircraft can cost around $67 million each and features advanced technology for airborne electronic attack roles.
The search for the pilots is complicated by challenging weather conditions, including rain and cloud cover. This incident adds to a series of military aircraft crashes, highlighting the inherent risks involved in military training exercises. Historically, such operations have resulted in fatalities, as was the case with previous crashes involving other military aircraft.
The U.S. Navy was searching Wednesday for two aviators whose plane crashed during a routine training flight.
The EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron crashed east of Mount Rainier at about 3:23 p.m. Tuesday, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Search teams, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from NAS Whidbey Island to try to find the crew and examine the crash site.
Navy officials said they didn’t know if the two crew members managed to eject before the crash, which remains under investigation.
The EA-18G Growler is similar to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and includes sophisticated electronic warfare devices. Most of the Growler squadrons are based at 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 search Wednesday was happening in rainy and cloudy weather near Mount Rainier, a towering active volcano that is blanketed in snowfields and glaciers year-round.
The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. In the last 15 years, it has operated around the globe supporting major actions, the Navy said. The plane seats a pilot in front and an electronics operator behind them.
“The EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced technology in airborne Electronic Attack and stands as the Navy’s first line of defense in hostile environments,” the Navy said on its website. Each aircraft costs about $67 million.
Military aircraft training exercises and travel can be dangerous and sometimes result in crashes, injuries and deaths.
In May, an F-35 fighter jet on its way 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 that case and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
Last year, eight U.S. Air Force special Operations Command service members were killed when a CV-22B Osprey aircraft they were flying in crashed off the coast of Japan.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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