Navy Plane Crashes in Western Yakima County, Search for Crew
The Yakima County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the Navy asked for search and rescue help concerning the Navy plane that crashed around 3:20 PM Tuesday. This is EA-18 is not the actual aircraft, but this is the same type that crashed.
The EA-18G Growler crashed somewhere in the western part of the county.
The Navy reported the plane, part of a tactical electronic attack squadron from Whidbey Island, was on a routine training mission when it apparently crashed east of Mt. Rainier. Rainier straddles Lewis and Pierce Counties, and based on the information from the YCSO, it likely went down somewhere near the border of Lewis or Pierce Counties and Yakima.
According to USA Today:
"The aircraft is from Electronic Attack Squadron 130, also known as VAQ-130, based at Whidbey Island. The squadron, the Navy's oldest electronic warfare squadron, was nicknamed the “Zappers” when it was first commissioned in 1959."
This unit recently served a nine-month deployment on the USS Enterprise in the Red Sea, carrying out air strikes against Houthi Terrorist targets in the Middle East.
The EA-18 Growler went into production in 2004, it's a derivative of the original FA-18 Hornet, specifically designed for electronic warfare guided and related missions.
As of 7 PM Tuesday nigh,t the whereabouts of the 2-man crew were not known, the search continues today including the 2 YCSO Search Teams. The YCSO confirmed Wednesday the Navy had requested the assistance.
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