Two U.S. Navy crew members who were missing after their aircraft crashed near Mount Rainier during a training flight last week have been identified, according to Navy officials.
The aviators, who were declared dead Sunday, were Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, 31, a Naval flight officer from California, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, 31, a Naval aviator from California.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The jet that crashed was known as a “Zapper,” or VAQ-130, the oldest electronic warfare squadron in the U.S. Navy.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron, which is stationed on Whidbey Island, said of the crew in a statement posted to social media by the Navy.
“I am heartbroken to learn about the passing of Lt. Commander Lyndsay Evans,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Seattle, said in a statement. “I was honored to have met her at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and I am deeply grateful for her courage and sacrifice in service to our country. She was a leader who broke barriers and made history.
“Similarly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lt. Serena Wileman. Our servicemembers put their lives on the line every day — their bravery exemplifies the best of America.
“As we mourn the passing of these two courageous heroes, we must remember our commitment to honor them not only with words but by supporting the families they leave behind. I am so proud of both of these women for their trailblazing careers — their service has no doubt made a difference, clearing a path for the women who will come after them. The families and friends of Lt. Commander Evans and Lt. Wileman are in my thoughts during this difficult time.”
The crash took place after 3 p.m. Oct. 15 during a routine training flight. The crew members were onboard a Boeing EA-18G Growler, a specialized electronic attack aircraft that is part of the Navy’s “first line of defense in hostile environments,” according to its website.
“Our 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,” Warburton said.
The Navy said the wreckage was found at about 6,000 feet in “a remote, steep and heavily wooded area east of Mount Rainier.”
Search and rescue teams from the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, supported by Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, responded to the crash site and looked for the crew members for several days.
The Navy said Sunday that efforts had shifted “from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations.”
Before the training mission that led to the crash, the squadron had returned to Whidbey Island from a recent deployment in the Middle East, the Navy said in a statement last week.
The squadron had conducted operations in the Southern Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden to “maintain the freedom of navigation in international waterways,” the Navy said in another statement about the deployment.
Shipping in the region has been disrupted by attacks by the Houthis, a Shiite militant group based in Yemen.
The squadron had performed nearly 700 combat missions to “degrade the Houthi capability to threaten innocent shipping” during its nine-month deployment, the release said.
________
Peninsula Daily News contributed to this report.
Lt. Serena N. Wileman.
