Two U.S. Navy service members aboard a Boeing plane that crashed during a training flight in Washington on Tuesday were pronounced dead.
The Boeing EA-18G Growler crashed east of Mount Rainier around 3:30 p.m. local time on October 15.
“It is with great sadness that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commander of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, for KOMO News.
‘Our priority at this time is to care for the families of our fallen Airmen and ensure the well-being of our Sailors and the Growler community.
“We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
The US Navy is searching for two pilots who crashed a Boeing EA-18G Growler during a routine training flight on Tuesday.
The Navy said the airmen will be identified in due course after their next of kin have been notified.
The EA-18G Growler is an electronic warfare aircraft and a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
Boeing announces its Growler as the world’s most advanced airborne electronic attack with two engines that give it a maximum cruising speed of more than 1,000 knots, or 1,150 miles per hour, faster than the speed of sound.
The warplane was developed with tactical jamming capabilities to knock out enemy communications.
Its nine weapons stations can carry ‘jamming pods’ (filled with electronic weapons) or missiles, such as the AGM-88 HARM missiles designed to detect electronic transmissions from surface-to-air radar systems.
Teach also confirmed to DailyMail.com that a Boeing P-8 Poseidon, a reconnaissance aircraft, joined the search.
The P-8 Poseidon’s flight paths were monitored by civilians online that showed the craft circling several Washington cities, including Cliffdell and Nile, which are just miles away from Mount Rainier National Park.
The downed Boeing fighter jet follows a series of controversies surrounding the company’s aircraft, specifically the safety of its troubled 787 airliner.
In September, a United Airlines flight was forced to make an unplanned landing after cockpit navigation screens failed.
While flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet in a remote region above Canada’s frigid, inhospitable Hudson Bay, the plane’s flight management computers entered “a degraded mode with limited capabilities,” the Transportation Safety Board reported. from Canada.
The Sept. 26 flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where United has a major maintenance base.
It took more than two hours for the plane to reach the “Windy City,” but the pilots managed to land the plane without incident, 3,940 miles from its intended destination.
The US Navy has deployed a rescue mission and confirmed to DailyMail.com that a P-8 Poseidon is in the search. Flight patterns show P-8 circling region outside Mount Rainier
A United Airlines spokesperson confirmed that the plane was forced to make a diversion “to address a potential technological issue.” Insider business information reported.
The incident came just days before the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it was launching a “safety probe” into United Airlines following a series of mishaps, including an incident in which the landing gear of a United plane failed. and the plane rolled onto the grass. at the end of the track.
In addition to United Airlines’ alleged mistakes, Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, has faced intense scrutiny following the launch of its 787 Dreamliner fleet.
In 2013, the FAA grounded all 787s until a revised battery design was approved.
Beginning in 2019, the 787 experienced quality control issues that slowed production and caused a near-total halt to deliveries from 2021 to 2022.
And again in August of this year, the leading commercial aircraft manufacturer was inspected by the FAA in connection with incidents in which planes were found plummeting uncontrollably in mid-air.
A whistleblower has since raised numerous concerns about the safety of the 787 fleet and the FAA investigation is ongoing.