Search for Navy Crew of Crashed Growler Aircraft Underway in Washington State
An E/A-18G
Growler, assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 130, returns home to Naval Air
Station Whidbey Island, Washington, July 13, 2024. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class William Sykes)
Posted: October 17, 2024 --- Military.com | By Konstantin Toropin
Updated October
16, 2024, at 3:10pm ET | Published October 16, 2024, at 12:42pm
ET
A Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed in Washington state during a training flight, and the status of the 2 crew members was unknown, according to the Navy. An update from the Navy on the search, said that "neither the crew nor wreckage has been located" and noted that "responders are facing mountainous terrain, cloudy weather, and low visibility as the search is ongoing.” The Navy said in an earlier statement that the Growler belonged to Electronic Attack Squadron 130 based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state.
The base scrambled "multiple search and rescue assets, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter ... to locate the crew and examine the crash site." Since, the Navy said that it had tapped 2 of its own squadrons, Whidbey Island’s search and rescue teams and an Army Air Cavalry squadron from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as well as Yakima County tribal and local authorities, to search in an area 30 miles west of Yakima, Washington.
The Navy has not identified either of the 2 crew members aboard the aircraft, but its statements have said the cause of the crash is under investigation and promised "more information will be released as it becomes available." Whidbey Island is home to all but one U.S. Navy Growler squadron. VAQ-130, also known as the "Zappers," had just returned from a combat deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which was notable for its combat operations against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The aircraft carrier, with its support ships, carried out strikes and defended themselves against incoming missile attacks as the Houthis attempted to strike merchant ships in the Red Sea. While the Navy awarded the USS Eisenhower and 6 other ship crews combat action ribbons for their work, the Zappers distinguished themselves. After their return home this summer, a Navy statement noted that one of their pilots scored the 1st air-to-air kill in a Growler in Navy history and they were the 1st squadron to use an Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile in combat.
The crash appears to be the 1st major mishap involving a Navy jet this year. In November, a Navy P-8A maritime patrol aircraft crashed in Hawaii after it overshot the runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. None of the 9 people on board were injured. The Navy's Safety Command statistics summary for the past year shows that the Growler aircraft was not involved in any of the Navy's 11 "Class A" flight mishaps. The Navy defines a "Class A" mishap as any incident that leads to a death or permanent disability for a sailor or results in more than $2.5 million in damages.
