Navy reaches site where jet crashed near Mount Rainier, continues search for aircrew
The U.S. Navy, local law enforcement and partner agencies have reached the spot where a Navy aircraft crashed Oct. 15, according to an update at 5 p.m. Friday.
“Personnel on site are methodically searching an expansive area, evaluating debris and searching for information in the snow-covered, wilderness environment,” a press release from the Navy said. “Finding the aircrew continues to be our primary focus.”
The News Tribune reported that two Navy crew members were onboard a EA-18G Growler aircraft when it crashed east of Mount Rainier at around 3:23 p.m. Tuesday during a routine training flight. The aircraft had departed earlier from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
The wreckage was spotted Wednesday afternoon at an altitude of about 6,000 feet in a remote, steep, heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier, The News Tribune reported in a later update. The aviators remain missing and their identities have not yet been released. The Navy cannot release their names until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified of their status, per Department of Defense procedure, according to an earlier news release from the Navy.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 5:55 PM.
