John Jefferson
U.S. Naval officials, on Monday, identified the two crew members who died last week in a Navy jet crash near Mount Rainier in Washington state, as two 31-year-old aviators from California.
The fighter jet pilots were identified as Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a Naval Aviator.
Evans and Wileman died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron out of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station crashed on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier on Tuesday afternoon.
The wreckage of the jet was located resting about 6,000 feet up in a remote, steep and heavily-wooded area, and until Sunday, the status of the crew remained a mystery without a site assessment of the debris area.
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Army Special Forces soldiers trained in mountaineering, high-angle rescue, medical and technical communication skills needed to navigate the difficult terrain assisted with efforts to locate the missing crew members as quickly as possible.
Once Evans and Wileman were located on Sunday, efforts switched from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations.
Evans, who hailed from Palmdale, California, made history as part of the first-ever all-female team to fly over a Super Bowl on Feb. 12, 2023, celebrating 50 years of women flying in the Navy, Navy spokesperson Steve Fiebing told The Associated Press.
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Women first began entering the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973.
“I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans told the Los Angeles Times in an article about the flyover in 2023. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.”
Wileman was commissioned into the Navy in 2018 and joined the “Zapper” squadron based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in 2021. During her career, she earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.
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U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., issued a statement on the deaths of Evans and Wileman.
“I am heartbroken to learn about the passing of Lt. Commander Lyndsay Evans and Lt. Serena Wileman,” Murray wrote on X. “I am so proud of both of these women’s trailblazing careers—their service has cleared a path for the women who will come after them.”
The Navy said the investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
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The EA-18G is a variant of the F/A-18 family of aircraft, outfitted with a sophisticated electronic warfare suite that is used for tactical jamming and electronic protection, according to the Navy’s website.
The jet was built to replace the EA-6B Prowler, and first went into production in October 2004.
The jet made its inaugural flight in August 2006, and the first delivery of the aircraft was made on June 3, 2008, to VAQ 129 at NAS Whidbey Island.
Each plane comes with a price tag of $67 million.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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