A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 130 takes part in Red Flag drills in Alaska in 2022. (Ryan Lackey/U.S. Air Force)
TACOMA, Wash. — The Navy was searching overnight in rugged terrain east of Mount Rainier for the crew of an EA-18G Growler from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, that crashed Tuesday afternoon.
The twin-engine jet from Electronic Attack Squadron 130 — nicknamed “Zappers” — went down at about 3:23 p.m., the air station reported.
A Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter was dispatched from the air station to search for the crash site and crew.
The crew’s status remained unknown as of 10:30 p.m., more than seven hours after the crash, said Lt. Cmdr. Beth Teach, spokeswoman for Naval Air Forces Pacific in San Diego.
The National Weather Service reported rain and snow Tuesday evening around the 14,411-foot volcanic peak at the center of Mount Rainier National Park.
Factoring in wind chill, overnight temperatures were forecast to dip below freezing on the mountain. More snowfall was expected Wednesday with rain and snow throughout the weekend.
Mount Rainier is about 100 miles southeast of NAS Whidbey Island.
The 130th had deployed as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, which returned to Norfolk Naval Station, Va., in July. The strike group spent nine months in the Middle East, guarding military and commercial vessels and fending off Houthi missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Carrier Air Wing 3, based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., embarked on the Eisenhower with nine squadrons and detachments. The 130th, stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, was the electronic warfare squadron for the deployment.
All EA-18G Growler squadrons are stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, northwest of Seattle on Puget Sound, according to the Navy. The exception is Electronic Attack Squadron 141 attached to Carrier Air Wing 5, based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
The Navy did not release the names of the crew members and said the cause of the crash is under investigation.
