SEATTLE — The U.S. Navy on Sunday declared the two missing crew members of the jet that crashed in a remote area east of Mount Rainier on Oct. 15 deceased.
The Navy said its crews have shifted from search and rescue to recovery operations on Sunday. The identities of the crew members will be withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130. “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our Sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
According to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island officials, an EA-18G Growler, an electronic warfare aircraft, took off from Oak Harbor Tuesday afternoon. The crash was reported at 3:23 p.m.
Search and rescue operations began immediately but "steep and heavily wooded" terrain and weather conditions made the crash site difficult to traverse.
Personnel were on site searching "an expansive area, evaluating debris and searching for information in the snow-covered" environment throughout the week.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The last fatal jet crash at NAS Whidbey was March 11, 2013. Three aviators were killed. The cause was determined to be a pilot error.
KING 5's Helen Smith and Mia Hunt contributed to this report