<p><img src="/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2024/10/16/USAT/75698105007-usatsi-20504510.jpg?crop=4335,2438,x900,y0&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp" width="100%" /><p>Two crew members who were aboard a U.S. Navy fighter jet that <a href="/story/news/nation/2024/10/16/navy-aircraft-crash-mount-rainier/75698030007/">crashed last week in remote area near Mount Rainier</a> in Washington state have been declared dead following days of searching.</p><p>“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Navy Cmdr. Timothy Warburton said in a statement, referring to the nickname given to those in <a href="https://www.airpac.navy.mil/Organization/Electronic-Attack-Squadron-VAQ-130/">Electronic Attack Squadron 130</a>.</p><p>Warburton, the commanding officer of the squadron, said <a href="/story/news/nation/2024/09/05/cameron-yaste-navy-fired/75089873007/">the Navy</a> will release the identities of the aviators 24 hours after their families have been notified.</p><p>The missing crew members are presumed dead after rescue teams spent five days searching for them, even after <a href="/story/news/nation/2024/10/17/navy-jet-crash-growler-plane-mount-rainier-washington/75713343007/">locating the downed EA-18G Growler</a> that they were aboard. Wreckage of the aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, was located Wednesday afternoon, a day after it crashed on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier.</p><p>"Personnel on site continue to search the expansive area, recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort," the Navy said in its latest statement Sunday afternoon.</p><img width="100%" /><h2>Growler crash site located east of Mount Rainier</h2><p>U.S. Navy personnel had spent days scouring the remote wilderness near Mount Rainier after the Growler went down Tuesday afternoon while on a routine training flight.</p><p>Aerial operations that included a MH-60S helicopter launched from the naval air station Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, where <a href="/story/news/nation/2024/10/15/navy-parachutist-san-francisco-fleet-week-accident/75685981007/">the Navy</a> set up an emergency response center to coordinate search efforts. The <a href="https://cnrnw.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NAS-Whidbey-Island/">naval air station</a> in the Pacific Northwest is where all but one Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons flying the EA-18G Growler are based.</p><p>On Wednesday afternoon, the Navy found the wreckage of the Growler east of Mount Rainier, but no sign of its crew.</p><a href="https://app.adjust.com/1el9h6z4">Download USA TODAY's app to get to the heart of news</a> <a href="/story/news/2024/10/19/7-reported-dead-when-portion-of-dock-collapes-on-sapelo-island/75759149007/">At least 7 dead; unknown number of injuries following dock collapse on Sapelo Island</a> <a href="/story/news/weather/2024/10/19/storm-tracker-tropical-storm-nadine-oscar-path-spaghetti-models/75750812007/">Hurricane Oscar forms in the Atlantic with 'unexpected' strong winds</a> <a href="/story/news/nation/2024/10/19/mississippi-mass-shooting-homecoming-game-trail-ride/75755592007/">Shooting in Mississippi after homecoming game at trail ride leaves 3 dead, 8 hurt</a> <a href="/story/money/food/2024/10/19/frozen-waffles-recalled-listeria/75752021007/">Frozen waffles sold at Publix, Target, Walmart, other stores recalled over listeria risk</a> <a href="/story/news/nation/2024/10/19/oakland-wildfire-diablo-winds-california/75751285007/">Oakland fire burns homes, sends residents fleeing amid gusty California winds</a><img width="100%" /><p>Located at about 6,000 feet in elevation in the mountainous Cascade Range, the crash site was inaccessible to motor vehicles in a "heavily-wooded" area, the Navy said. Due to the difficult terrain, Army soldiers from the <a href="https://www.soc.mil/USASFC/Groups/1st/1stSFGHomepage.html">1st Special Forces Group</a>, who are specialized in mountaineering and high-angle rescues, helped in the search, the Navy added.</p><p><a href="/story/news/nation/2024/09/02/coast-guard-navy-rescue-mother-daughter-pets-honolulu-hawaii/75047860007/">Search and rescue teams</a>, which included local law enforcement, reached the crash site Friday evening to investigate the debris and begin "methodically searching an expansive area" of the snow-covered wilderness to find the missing crew, the Navy said.</p><p>But by Sunday afternoon, the rescue effort shifted to a recovery mission.</p><p>“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," Warburton said in his statement. "We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”</p><p>The cause of the crash remains under investigation.</p><h2>Naval aircraft was part of 'Zappers' squadron</h2><p>The aircraft is from Electronic Attack Squadron 130, also known as VAQ-130, based at Whidbey Island. The squadron, the Navy's <a href="https://www.airpac.navy.mil/Organization/Electronic-Attack-Squadron-VAQ-130/About-Us/">oldest electronic warfare squadron</a>, was nicknamed the “Zappers” when it was first commissioned in 1959. </p><p>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,<a href="https://www.cnic.navy.mil/News/News-Detail/Article/3840273/electronic-attack-squadron-vaq-130-returns-from-deployment/"> according to the Navy</a>.</p><a href="/picture-gallery/news/2012/09/09/the-day-in-pictures/1410095/"><img width="100%" /></a><p>The first Growler test aircraft went into production in 2004 and <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2166036/ea-18g-growler-airborne-electronic-attack-aircraft/">made its first flight in 2006</a>, according to the Navy. Built by Boeing, the aircraft costs $67 million.</p><p>Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at
[email protected]</p></p>
Two crew members who were aboard a U.S. Navy fighter jet that crashed last week in remote area near Mount Rainier in Washington state have been declared dead following days of searching.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Navy Cmdr. Timothy Warburton said in a statement, referring to the nickname given to those in Electronic Attack Squadron 130.
Warburton, the commanding officer of the squadron, said the Navy will release the identities of the aviators 24 hours after their families have been notified.
The missing crew members are presumed dead after rescue teams spent five days searching for them, even after locating the downed EA-18G Growler that they were aboard. Wreckage of the aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, was located Wednesday afternoon, a day after it crashed on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier.
"Personnel on site continue to search the expansive area, recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort," the Navy said in its latest statement Sunday afternoon.
![]()
Growler crash site located east of Mount Rainier
U.S. Navy personnel had spent days scouring the remote wilderness near Mount Rainier after the Growler went down Tuesday afternoon while on a routine training flight.
Aerial operations that included a MH-60S helicopter launched from the naval air station Whidbey Island, north of Seattle, where the Navy set up an emergency response center to coordinate search efforts. The naval air station in the Pacific Northwest is where all but one Navy tactical electronic attack squadrons flying the EA-18G Growler are based.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Navy found the wreckage of the Growler east of Mount Rainier, but no sign of its crew.
Download USA TODAY's app to get to the heart of news At least 7 dead; unknown number of injuries following dock collapse on Sapelo Island Hurricane Oscar forms in the Atlantic with 'unexpected' strong winds Shooting in Mississippi after homecoming game at trail ride leaves 3 dead, 8 hurt Frozen waffles sold at Publix, Target, Walmart, other stores recalled over listeria risk Oakland fire burns homes, sends residents fleeing amid gusty California winds![]()
Located at about 6,000 feet in elevation in the mountainous Cascade Range, the crash site was inaccessible to motor vehicles in a "heavily-wooded" area, the Navy said. Due to the difficult terrain, Army soldiers from the 1st Special Forces Group, who are specialized in mountaineering and high-angle rescues, helped in the search, the Navy added.
Search and rescue teams, which included local law enforcement, reached the crash site Friday evening to investigate the debris and begin "methodically searching an expansive area" of the snow-covered wilderness to find the missing crew, the Navy said.
But by Sunday afternoon, the rescue effort shifted to a recovery mission.
“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," Warburton said in his statement. "We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Naval aircraft was 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 costs $67 million.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
