Wed Oct 16 17:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Two US Navy Crew Members Missing After Growler Crash Near Mount Rainier
**Tacoma, Washington** – Two US Navy crew members are still missing after their EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington on Tuesday afternoon. The aircraft, assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 based in Washington, was on a training flight when it went down east of the mountain.
Search and rescue operations, involving a US Navy MH-60S helicopter, were launched immediately from NAS Whidbey Island. However, as of Wednesday morning, the status of the two crew members remains unknown.
The EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, specifically designed for electronic warfare. The squadron the aircraft belonged to recently returned from a deployment aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Middle East, during which they achieved a historical first – an air-to-air kill by a VAQ squadron.
The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the Navy.
First Piper 