U.S. Navy jet crashes near Washington's Mount Rainier; search underway for 2 missing crew members
A U.S. Navy jet crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington state and a search was underway for the plane's two crew members, the Navy said.
The EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed east of Mount Rainier on Tuesday afternoon during a routine training flight, the Navy said in a statement.
As of Tuesday night, the status of the crew members was unknown, the Navy said. Their identities weren't released.
The jet was based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in northwest Washington.
Multiple search and rescue assets launched from the air station Tuesday for the search effort. More helicopters joined the search Wednesday, according to a Navy official.
Search crews were battling remote terrain and tough weather. Heavy snow and patchy fog were in Wednesday's forecast for Mount Rainier, according to the National Weather Service. Between 5 and 9 inches of snow were possible.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a flight ban around the search area, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
The crashed jet is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, which boasts being the oldest electronic warfare squadron in the Navy.
According to the squadron's website, the EA-18G Growler's sensors and weapons "provides the warfighter with a lethal and survivable weapon system to counter current and emerging threats."
Last December, a Navy surveillance plane overshot a runway at a military base in Hawaii and splashed into Kaneohe Bay, but all nine aboard were uninjured.
