Search continues for missing crew members after US Navy EA-18G crashes near Mount Rainier

The EA-18G Growler belonging to VAQ-130 crashed on October 15, 2024 during a training flight.

An EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack aircraft of the Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130) “Zappers” with two crew members on board crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 3:23 PM local time. Neither crew member has been located. The plane wreckage was located in the mountainous area by search teams on Wednesday, October 16.

“Aerial search crews located the wreckage around 12:30 p.m.,” the Navy said in a statement from spokesman Mike Welding. Welding further reported that the crash site was “on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier.”

The search for the missing crew members is in full swing. Diana Stancy from The Navy Times reported that “multiple search and rescue assets, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from NAS Whidbey Island to locate the crew and investigate the crash site,” the Navy said in a statement. “As of October 15 at 7 p.m., the status of the two crew members remains unknown.”

A comprehensive (but not exclusive) list of likely SAR air traffic east of Mount Rainier.

The list of aircraft involved in the search includes a Dept of Homeland Security SNC Scorpion ISR, a US Navy P-3 Orion and P-8A Poseidon, a UH-60L and possibly two fighters from NASWI. pic.twitter.com/4Z8Lie8y5N

— Evergreen Intel (@vcdgf555) October 16, 2024

The EA-18G Growler belonged to Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), the “Zappers,” based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington. The base where the aircraft’s unit is based is about 160 miles north of Mount Rainier, although the origins of the aircraft’s mission were not verified in early media reports.

Mount Rainier in Washington, near Seattle, Washington, is the second highest and has the most glaciers of any mountain in the lower 48 states. The mountain, in Mount Rainier National Park, is 4,000 meters high and almost the entire area is more than 3,000 meters above tree line. Due to the altitude and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, mountain guides from Rainier Mountaineering Inc. told TheAviationist.com that “the mountain makes its own weather.”

Several low-level routes pass through national parks in the Cascade Mountains, including VR1355, colloquially called the “million dollar ride” for both the scenic views and the fun and “aggressive” flying that can be done through the valleys.

A statement on the official Mount Rainier National Park website reads: “The road to Paradise (at approximately 10,000 feet) will close past Longmire today (October 16) at 4:00 PM in preparation for expected overnight snowfall on the mountain. All vehicles wishing to leave the Paradise area must leave by 4:00 PM.” Although weather conditions at the time of the crash are unknown, current weather forecasts may impact search and rescue efforts in the region.

Another Boeing F/A-18 Hornet variant, a Spanish Air Force “EF-18M” (“E” for “Espana” or “Spain”) crashed earlier this month on Friday near Peralejos in the eastern province of Teruel of Spain. October 4, 2024, killing Spanish Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Pablo Estrada Martín. The aviator reported that “the 49-year-old officer, highly regarded within the Ejército del Aire y el Espacio, was unable to fire from the EF-18M”

EA-18G Growler

The EA-18G Growler is a specialized variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, designed for electronic warfare. It first flew in 2006 and became operational three years later in 2009 as an electronic warfare attack aircraft. The twin-engine aircraft has a crew of two, a pilot and an electronic warfare officer, and operates from aircraft carriers and land bases. EA-18G Growlers are in service with the Royal Australian Air Force in addition to the US Navy.

One of the main differences from the standard Super Hornet is the presence of wingtip pods that house the ALQ-218 system, which detects and locates enemy signals and transmitters.

The ALQ-218 is an advanced radar warning receiver and electronic monitoring system that collects data on sources of radio frequency emissions. This capability allows the Growler to identify and track enemy signals, contributing to the Electronic Order of Battle (EOB) in active combat environments.

The Growler’s electronic attack capabilities are built around an electronic suite derived from the EA-6B Prowler’s Enhanced Capability III (ICAP III) system. Future upgrades, including the Block II Growler enhancements and the Next Generation Jammer (NGJ) pods, will enable the EA-18G to conduct cyber attacks by hacking into enemy networks or injecting malware.

VAQ-130 Zappers

Electronic Attack Squadron 130 (VAQ-130), the “Zappers,” the 65-year-old unit to which Tuesday’s accident aircraft belongs, is the U.S. Navy’s oldest electronic attack squadron. During its history, which began in 1959, the unit has flown the single-piston engine Douglas EA-1F Skyraider aircraft, the large twin-jet Douglas EKA-3B Skywarrior, the four-seat, twin-engine Grumman EA-6B Prowler and now operates the EA-18G Growler.

The squadron recently returned from a nine-month deployment to the Red Sea aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, during which it participated in the fight against the Houthi rebels. During the eventful cruise, an EA-18G of the “Zappers” used an AGM-88E AARGM to destroy a Mi-24/Mi-35 Hind attack helicopter on the ground; a feat celebrated by VAQ-130, which decorated the Growler with a kill marker.