The United States Navy shared that it has recovered the remains of the two crew members who were in a Navy jet that crashed near Washington State’s Mount Rainier.
Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, the commanding officer of the aviators’ Electronic Attack Squadron, shared the news in a press release, noting that “It is with a heavy heart that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers.”
“Our priority right now is taking care of the families of our fallen aviators. ... We are grateful for the ongoing teamwork to safely recover the deceased,” he said in the release.
The crew was not identified, as it isn’t allowed to do so until 24 hours after their families have been made aware.
The jet, an A-18G Growler, crashed on Tuesday during a routine training flight, the Navy previously shared. The aircraft was carrying two crew members at the time.
On Wednesday, the wreckage was spotted at about 12:30 p.m. PST by aerial search crews. The jet had gone down on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier.
The search and rescue crews took to the mountain, an active volcano, to try and find the crewmembers and were eventually successful.
The Navy is still investigating what caused the crash.