Two crew members still missing from Navy aircraft crash near Mount Rainier

The U.S. Navy, local law enforcement and partner agencies reached the remote location where a Navy EA-18G Growler crashed during a routine training flight Tuesday east of Mount Rainier.

Two crew members piloting the Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 remain missing.

“Personnel on site are methodically searching an expansive area, evaluating debris and searching for information in the snow-covered, wilderness environment,” according to a late Friday afternoon news release from Naval Air Forces. “Finding the aircrew continues to be our primary focus.”

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The wreckage rests at about 6,000 feet altitude in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area, according to a previous release.

Soldiers from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord assisted in the search. The group brings specialized mountaineering, high-angle rescue, medical and technical communication skills necessary to navigate the difficult terrain associated with the Cascade Mountain Range that is inaccessible by other means.

The 92nd Air Refueling Wing’s 36th Rescue Squadron, based at Fairchild Air Force Base, also responded to support efforts, Lt. Sidney Walters, 92nd Air Refueling Wing chief of public affairs, said Wednesday.

The status of the crew cannot be confirmed without a site assessment of the debris area, the Navy said.

“Our priority is to locate our two aviators as quickly and as safely as possible,” said Capt. David Ganci, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Electronic Attack Wing, in a release.

Ganci said in the release that it cannot identify or confirm the names of aircrew involved in a crash until 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified, per U.S. Department of Defense procedure.

Aerial search crews located the wreckage of the aircraft Wednesday afternoon after the Tuesday crash.