Two U.S. Navy crew members, missing after their aircraft crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington State during a training exercise last week, were confirmed dead on Sunday, according to Navy officials.
The aircraft involved was a VAQ-130, known as a “Zapper,” which is part of the Navy’s oldest electronic warfare squadron. In a statement shared on social media, Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, the commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron stationed on Whidbey Island near Seattle, expressed deep sorrow for the loss, referring to the two crew members as “beloved Zappers.”
“Commander Warsburton said, “Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our sailors and the Growler comunity.”
The Navy reported that the wreckage of the aircraft was located at about 6,000 feet in altitude, in a remote, steep, and densely wooded area east of Mount Rainier. Search and rescue teams from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, with help from Army personnel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, spent several days looking for the missing crew members.
On Sunday, the Navy announced that the operation had shifted from search and rescue to recovery efforts, while the cause of the crash is still being investigated. Prior to the accident, the squadron had recently returned to Whidbey Island following a deployment to the Middle East. During the deployment, they operated in the Southern Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden to ensure freedom of navigation in international waters.
The Navy highlighted that shipping in the area had been affected by attacks from the Houthis, a Shiite militant group in Yemen. During their nine-month deployment, the squadron flew nearly 700 combat missions to weaken the Houthis’ ability to target innocent vessels.
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