Two crew members who were missing following the crash of a fighter jet in mountainous terrain in Washington during a routine training flight have been declared dead, the U.S. Navy said Sunday.
The EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron crashed east of Mount Rainier on Tuesday afternoon, according to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Search teams, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from the air station to try to find the crew and crash site.
Army Special Forces soldiers trained in mountaineering, high-angle rescue and technical communications were brought in to reach the wreckage, which was located Wednesday by an aerial crew resting at about 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier, officials said.
The aviators' names won’t be released until a day after their next of kin have been notified, the Navy said in a statement Sunday, adding that search and rescue efforts have shifted into a long-term salvage and recovery operation as the cause of the crash is still being investigated.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of the aviators’ Electronic Attack Squadron. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators. ... We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
Locating the missing crew members “as quickly and as safely as possible” had been top priority, Capt. David Ganci, commander, Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Thursday.
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.
The search took place near Mount Rainier, a towering active volcano that is blanketed in snowfields and glaciers year-round.
The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. In the past 15 years, the Growler has operated around the globe supporting major actions, the Navy said. The plane seats a pilot in front and an electronics operator behind them.
“The EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced technology in airborne Electronic Attack and stands as the Navy’s first line of defense in hostile environments,” the Navy said on its website. Each aircraft costs about $67 million.
Military aircraft training exercises can be dangerous and sometimes result in crashes, injuries and 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.
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This story has been updated to correct the Navy says it has declared the crew members dead, not found them dead.
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Associated Press writer Jesse Bedayn contributed to this report from Denver.
EA-18G Growlers, with some of San Juan Islands in the background, prepare for an exercise at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, March 10, 2016. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
FILE - Mount Rainier is pictured Sept. 21, 2023, at Mount Rainier National Park, from Sunrise, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
An EA-18G Growler engine's thrust with afterburner propels its takeoff with a loud roar from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during an exercise, March 10, 2016. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
An EA-18G Growler takes off from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island during an exercise, March 10, 2016. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka (AP) — Opening batter Nishan Madushka scored a half-century on debut and shared a 137-run partnership for the fourth wicket with captain Charith Asalanka to guide Sri Lanka to a five-wicket win over West Indies in their rain-hit ODI cricket opener on Sunday.
West Indies captain Shai Hope won the toss and elected to bat first. His team scored 185-4 in 38.3 of its 50 allotted overs before rain halted the cricket at Pallekele.
When play resumed, Sri Lanka was given a target of 232 runs in 37 overs under the DLS method and it reached 234-5 with 31 deliveries to spare.
Sri Lanka lost its first wicket with the score on six when Avishka Fernando (5) was out caught at covers by Roston Chase off fast bowler Alzarri Joseph (2-39 in six overs). Kusal Mendis (13) skied Joseph and wicketkeeper Hope took a good high catch.
Sri Lanka were three down for 45 when Sadeera Samarawickrama (18) was bowled by left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie with a flighted and turning delivery.
Asalanka and Madushka then came together for their 109-ball partnership.
Asalanka top scored with 77 off 71 deliveries including three sixes and eight boundaries. Madushka, standing in for injured regular opener Pathum Nissanka, hit a six and seven boundaries in his 69 off 54 deliveries.
West Indies spin bowlers struggled to grip the ball after the rain and to make matters worse their seam bowlers erred in their accuracy. Motie had both Madushka and Samarawickrama out later but it was too late. He took 3-47 for West Indies in eight overs.
Earlier, Sherfane Rutherford and Chase added 85 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket to give West Indies a competitive score before rain intervened. Rutherford was 74 not out off 82 deliveries including three sixes and five boundaries. Chase was a run-a-ball 33 not out.
Leg spin bowler Wanindu Hasaranga took 2-18 in six overs for Sri Lanka.
The one-day international series continues Wednesday at the same venue with the second of three games.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
West Indies' Sherfane Rutherford, right, and Roston Chase run between the wickets during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Captain Charith Asalanka plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Captain Charith Asalanka celebrates his fifty runs during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Nishan Madushka plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Nishan Madushka celebrates his fifty runs during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
West Indies' Gudakesh Motie successfully appeals to dismiss Sri Lanka's Captain Charith Asalanka during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Janith Liyanage plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis his team's win in the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis, left, and Janith Liyanage celebrate their team's win in the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
West Indies Sherfane Rutherford plays a shot during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
Sri Lanka's Captain Charith Asalanka, left, and Nishan Madushka, bump fists during the first ODI cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala)
