Whidbey Island, Washington. (October 22, 2024): The Navy is mourning the loss of two veteran pilots, both age 31 and from California, who were killed in crash east of Mount Rainier. The undated file photo above portrays Lieutenant Commander Lyndsay P. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, and Lieutenant Serena N. Wileman, a Naval Aviator, who died when their EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron, known as “Zappers,” crashed during a training flight.

Due to poor weather conditions and difficult terrain, it took rescue crews three days to reach the crash site. The wreckage was found in a steep, heavily wooded area six thousand feet east of Rainier.

The pilots had just returned from a Middle East deployment where they took part in air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. They were deployed aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130. They spent nine months at sea as a part of Carrier Air Wing Three conducting numerous bombing missions.

Evans, callsign “Milley,” was recently awarded Single Action Air Medals for a sweeping set of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Evans was named the Growler Tactics Instructor of the Year for 2024.

Wileman, callsign “Dug,” was also awarded Air Medals for her role in combat missions conducted between last December and March. 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.

The first Growlers were delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008 and have been operating worldwide for the past 15 years. The Growler is similar to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and includes sophisticated electronic warfare devices. Most of the Growler squadrons are based at Whidbey Island. One squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.

(Editor’s Note: Isn’t it sad when they are taken so young?)