### Tragic Loss: Two U.S. Navy Aviators Declared Dead After Washington State Fighter Jet Crash

In a tragic turn of events, two crew members who went missing after their fighter jet crashed in the mountainous terrain of Washington state have been declared dead, the U.S. Navy announced on Sunday. The incident occurred during a routine training flight when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron crashed east of Mount Rainier on Tuesday afternoon, according to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Search teams were promptly mobilized to locate the missing crew members and the crash site, deploying a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter from the air station. Efforts intensified with the involvement of Army Special Forces soldiers who are experts in mountaineering, high-angle rescue, and technical communications. The wreckage was eventually found on Wednesday at a daunting altitude of about 6,000 feet in a remote, steep, and thickly forested area.

The identities of the deceased aviators are being withheld until their next of kin have been informed, the Navy said in a statement. The focus of rescue operations has now shifted to a long-term salvage and recovery phase as investigators seek to determine the cause of the crash.

Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of the Electronic Attack Squadron, expressed his deep sorrow over the loss. "It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers," he said, emphasizing that the immediate priority is supporting the families of the fallen aviators. Capt. David Ganci, commander of the Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, had previously declared that finding the missing crew members "as quickly and as safely as possible" was the top priority.

The EA-18G Growler, closely related to the F/A-18F Super Hornet, is equipped with advanced electronic warfare devices. Most Growler squadrons are stationed at Whidbey Island, with one in Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. The "Zappers" squadron had recently returned from deployment aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Mount Rainier, an imposing active volcano capped with snowfields and glaciers year-round, served as a daunting backdrop to the search operations. The Growler aircraft, first delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008, represents the pinnacle of airborne electronic attack technology and serves as a crucial component of the Navy's defense capabilities. With an estimated cost of $67 million per unit, each aircraft carries a pilot and an electronics operator.

This unfortunate incident comes nearly a year after another tragedy, wherein eight U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command members lost their lives in a CV-22B Osprey crash off the coast of Japan.

The story has been updated to reflect that the Navy has declared the crew members dead, without having found their bodies.