A search is underway for 2 missing U.S. Navy pilots after their aircraft appears to have crashed Tuesday afternoon somewhere east of Mount Rainier in Washington’s Pacific Northwest. On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight ban around an area believed to be where the jet possibly went down.
The United States Navy said that the aircraft was based on Whidbey Island Naval Air Station north of Seattle and had been on a routine training mission on Tuesday. It is unknown if the pilots (whose identities have not been released) went down with the plane or ejected themselves from the EA-18G Growler fighter jet before it presumably crashed somewhere at about 3:23 p.m. Pacific time. All EA-18G squadrons are stationed at NAS Whidbey except one squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
The crashed jet is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, which boasts being the oldest electronic warfare squadron in the Navy. According to the Electronic Attack Squadron website, the EA-18G Growler’s sensors and weapons “provides the warfighter with a lethal and survivable weapon system to counter current and emerging threats.”
Per USA Today, the Nay said that the search team includes a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter launched from Whidbey Island to “locate the crew and examine the crash site,” but noted that weather could be a factor in the search. Between 5 to 9 inches of snow is possible amid patchy fog and heavy snow is forecast for Wednesday for Mount Rainier.
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