On the evening of October 15, the United States Navy reported that an EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft crashed during routine training exercises. The incident occurred east of Mount Rainier in Washington State, and the two crew members aboard are currently missing. Search operations are underway to locate them.

The EA-18G Growler, part of the F/A-18 family, was engaged in standard flight training at the time of the incident. As of 7 PM that evening, the status of the two personnel remains unknown.

The search efforts involve a Navy MH-60S helicopter that departed from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, located north of Seattle. The aircraft is assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), nicknamed the “Zappers,” which is based at Whidbey Island and holds the distinction of being the oldest electronic warfare squadron in Navy history.