By MARTHA BELLISLE | Associated Press
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 female aviators from California.
In this undated photo released by the U.S. Navy, Lt. Commander Lyndsay Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, sits in a cockpit. (U.S. Navy via AP)
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 “Zappers,” crashed east of Mount Rainier last Tuesday during a training flight, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
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.
The first female candidates entered the U.S. Navy flight school in 1973.
“I joined the Navy to serve my country,” Evans told the Los Angeles Times. “Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than yourself.”
Wileman was commissioned in 2018 and joined the Zapper squadron on Washington state’s Whidbey Island in 2021. She earned the National Defense Service Medal, Navy Unit Commendation Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.
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.
Navy officials declared the aviators dead on Sunday and said they’ve switched from search and rescue to recovery operations.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron 130. “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. We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased.”
EA-18G Growlers, with some of San Juan Islands in the background, prepare for an exercise at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, March 10, 2016. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP)
Personnel are recovering debris and planning for the long-term salvage and recovery effort, the Navy said. Gov. Jay Inslee said the Navy asked the Washington state National Guard to “provide 24/7 security at assigned traffic control points.” Inslee granted the request Sunday.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Related Articles
Crashes and Disasters |
Darkness of California likely disoriented pilot before deadly plane crash, experts say
Crashes and Disasters |
Pilot’s wife safely lands plane while en route to Monterey during medical emergency
Crashes and Disasters |
5 dead after a small plane …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
