The fate of two crew members of a Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft that crashed near Mount Rainier yesterday afternoon remains unknown, according to an updated Naval Air Station Whidbey Island press release this morning.

The Navy is in coordination with Yakima County tribal and local authorities, continuing to search for the crashed aircraft and its aviators. Neither have been located yet.

Aerial search units launched from Whidbey and continued through the night, scouring the area 30 miles west of Yakima. Mountainous terrain, cloudy weather and low visibility are causing challenges.

Additional units include Air Reconnaissance Squadron One, Patrol Squadron, NAS Whidbey Island Search and Rescue, and Army 4-6 Air Cavalry Squadron out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

At 3:23 p.m. yesterday, the Boeing-made aircraft from Electronic Attack Squadron 130 crashed east of the mountain during a routine training flight. The cause of the crash is unknown and under investigation.

Multiple search and rescue assets, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from NAS Whidbey Island to locate the crew and examine the crash site.

According to the press release, “Zappers” of VAQ-130 are based at NAS Whidbey Island and recently completed a combat deployment on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as the only E/A-18G Growler squadron with Carrier Air Wing 3.

The EA-18G Growler is a variant in the F/A-18 family of aircraft that combines the proven F/A-18F Super Hornet platform with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite. All EA-18G squadrons are stationed at NAS Whidbey Island, with the exception of one squadron (VAQ-141) attached to CVW-5, Forward Deployed Naval Force, based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.