USN F/A-18G Growler Down; Crew Still Missing

At press time, the crew of a U.S. Navy F/A-18G Growler is still missing, though the wreckage had been located near Mount Rainier in Washington State. The jet crashed while on a training mission on Tuesday (October 15) at around 3:23 p.m. local time.

Aerial search crews located the wreckage on Wednesday around 12:30 in mountainous terrain as rain and snow covered the area, as well as residue from an active volcano. A Navy MH-60S helicopter from NAS Whidbey Island was sent to try to locate the two crewmembers. The area where the wreckage sits is not accessible by ground vehicles.

U.S. Navy officials said it is still unclear whether or not the crew ejected from the two-seat combat aircraft.