Missing Navy air pilots have been declared deceased

UPDATE:

The U.S. Navy has declared the two missing crewmembers of the EA-18G Growler crash, deceased.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our Sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”

Crews on site will continue to search the expansive area, recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort.

The Navy shared the news on October 20, adding that the identities of the Naval Aviators would be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin had been notified out of respect for their families.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

UPDATE:

Crews have reached the location of the crashed U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler, according to the U.S. Navy.

Search and rescue teams are searching the large area, evaluating debris in the snow-covered environment.

At this time, the on-board aircrew has not been found.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

PREVIOUS:

Search and rescue teams are racing to find two Navy pilots whose fighter jet crashed near Mt. Rainier on Tuesday.

The pilots are from a squadron known as The Zappers and were in an EA-18 Growler out of NAS Whidbey Island on a routine training flight.

Aviation expert John Nance told KIRO 7 that the Growler is equipped with highly advanced electronics that would have alerted the pilots of any danger.

It’s unclear whether the pilots were able to eject in time or went down with the jet.

“It makes you sick because you know how much power those airplanes have and how much sophistication in the electronics and how sophisticated the pilots are,” said Nance. “What we don’t know is, was something going wrong with the jet that didn’t give these guys time to react?”

The Navy says the wreckage, found Wednesday , was located on a steep mountainside.

The terrain is so treacherous that vehicles can’t get through for miles.

Also, rain and low visibility could make those efforts even more difficult.

Doug McCall, president of Seattle Mountain Rescue, says his group has trained and teamed up with the Navy for rescues in the past and has no doubt they are prepared for this mission.

“They train for this type of event and the Navy SAR helicopter team out of Whidbey Island is probably one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with,” said McCall.

The Navy is also getting help from teams with JBLM and Yakima County Sheriff’s.