At around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, aerial search crews located the wreckage of the EA-18G Growler that crashed on Oct. 15 east of Mount Rainier during a routine training. The status of the two crew members in the aircraft is unknown while the search continues, according to a press release.

Officials established an emergency operations center on Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and the Navy will soon deploy personnel to secure the remote area that is not accessible by motorized vehicles.

The Navy worked in coordination with Yakima County tribal and local authorities to search for the crashed aircraft and its aviators.

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 presented 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.