2 crewmembers who died in US Navy jet crash near Mt. Rainier identified

The U.S. Navy released the names of the two naval aviators who died when their jet crashed near Mount Rainier last Tuesday.

Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a 31-year-old naval flight officer from California, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a 31-year-old naval aviator from California, died in the Oct. 15 crash, the Navy revealed in a short statement Monday.

The Navy announced late Sunday morning the two crewmembers on a EA-18G Growler jet who were labeled as missing previously were killed in the crash.

“Electronic Attack Wing Pacific has shifted from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations Sunday,” the Navy said in a release sent to members of the media, including KIRO Newsradio. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The identities of the aviators were withheld until a day after their next of kin had been notified. The Navy stated that it operates that way “as a matter of respect for the families and in accordance with Navy policy.”

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, said in a news release. “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.”

“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.”  Capt. David Ganci, commander, Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet said, according to The Associated Press (AP).

Just after 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed east of Mount Rainier during a routine training flight, the Navy confirmed. Multiple search-and-rescue attempts, including using a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, were conducted to locate the crew and examine the crash site.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) initially wrote in a press release last week that the status of the two crewmembers was unknown.

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The jet was eventually found on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier but the crewmembers could not be located.

“We know that it’s a remote location. We know that it’s not accessible by motorized vehicles,” Commander Beth Teach, a spokesperson with the Naval Air Forces, told KIRO Newsradio on Wednesday while search and rescue efforts were still active.

The Navy had to work with local authorities and tribal communities for rescuers to get in and access the site. Along with local law enforcement and partner agencies, the Navy said teams reached the location where a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler crashed Friday, according to an earlier news release.

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 in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier, officials said, the AP reported.

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The two aboard the aircraft were the pilot and an electronic warfare officer. The Navy is unsure if the pilot and the officer were able to eject in time. Despite this being a routine military training mission, CBS Military Analyst Jeff McCausland said they can still be dangerous.

“They can be very dangerous because, of course, what they want to do is simulate combat conditions to the maximum extent possible,” McCausland said. “First is we’re going to recover. The crew got an MH 60 looking for the crash site, looking for any possibility the crew was able to punch out.”

“Did the aircraft dramatically change course? Did it immediately hit the ground, or did it go on farther before it crashed?” McCausland asked.

The aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, known as the “Zappers.”

“The ‘Zappers’ of VAQ-130 are based at NAS Whidbey Island and recently completed a combat deployment on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as the only E/A-18G Growler squadron with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3,” NASWI wrote in a prepared statement.

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All but one of the Navy’s Growler squadrons are based at NASWI.

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 and travel 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.

Editors’ note: This story was first published on Wednesday, Oct. 16. It has been updated and republished multiple times since then.

Contributing: The Associated Press; KIRO Newsradio staff

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.