By Canadian Press

The US Navy says a fighter jet with two on board crashed in Washington state during training

Oct 16, 2024 | 9:42 AM

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.

The Navy hasn’t said whether the two crew members managed to eject before the crash. The cause of the crash 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.

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Military aircraft training exercises and travel can be dangerous and sometimes result in crashes, injuries or 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.

Martha Bellisle, The Associated Press