{"id":2637,"date":"2025-06-09T11:03:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsusa33.com\/?p=2637"},"modified":"2025-06-09T11:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T11:03:16","slug":"2-killed-in-fighter-jet-crash-as-aviators-from-california-see-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsusa33.com\/?p=2637","title":{"rendered":"2 killed in fighter jet crash as aviators from California…See more"},"content":{"rendered":"
2 killed in fighter jet crash as aviators from California…See more<\/h1>\n
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The Navy identified on Monday the two crew members who died last week in a jet fighter crash near Mount Rainier as two 31-year-old aviators from California.<\/p>\n
Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a Naval Aviator, died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron, known as \u201cZappers,\u201d\u00a0crashed east of Mount Rainier\u00a0last Tuesday during a training flight, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.<\/p>\n
Evans of Palmdale, California, made history as part of a team of female pilots who conducted the first-ever all-female flyover of Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023, to celebrate 50 years of women flying in the Navy, Steve Fiebing, a Navy spokesperson, told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n
The first female candidates entered the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Wileman was commissioned in 2018 and joined the Zapper squadron on Washington state\u2019s Whidbey Island in 2021. She earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.<\/p>\n
An aerial crew located the wreckage the day after the crash at about 6,000 feet (1,828 meters) in a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier, officials said.<\/p>\n
Navy officials declared the aviators dead\u00a0on Sunday and said they\u2019ve switched from search and rescue to recovery operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,\u201d said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 130. \u201cOur priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators, and ensuring the well-being of our sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n
Personnel are recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort, the Navy said.\u00a0Gov. Jay Inslee\u00a0said the Navy asked the Washington state National Guard to \u201cprovide 24\/7 security at assigned traffic control points.\u201d Inslee granted the request Sunday.<\/p>\n
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. In the past 15 years, the Growler has operated around the globe supporting major actions, the Navy said. The plane seats a pilot in front and an electronics operator behind them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced technology in airborne Electronic Attack and stands as the Navy\u2019s first line of defense in hostile environments,\u201d the Navy said\u00a0on its website<\/a>. Each aircraft costs about $67 million.<\/p>\n
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