October 16, 20241 yr https://news.usni.org/2024/10/15/growler-crew-members-status-unknown-after-crash
October 17, 20241 yr Crew still missing...not good. Search Still Underway For Missing Crew Members After U.S. Navy EA-18G Crashes Near Mt. Rainier - The Aviationist
October 20, 20241 yr https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/navy-declares-2-missing-crew-members-crashed-jet-deceased/281-a83540a2-7f8b-44d9-bdbc-762b43076679 Sadly it's now turned into a recovery versus a rescue operation.
October 21, 20241 yr Very sad. Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, left, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, right.© Navy photos. The crew of an EA-18G Growler that crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington last week had flown dozens of combat missions in the Red Sea earlier this year as part of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Carrier Strike Group that faced drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Navy confirmed Monday that Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay “Miley” Evans and Lt. Serena “Dug” Wileman, both 31, were killed in the Oct. 15 crash on Mount Rainier, about 180 miles from their home base of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Rescuers battled bad weather and steep terrain to reach the crash site over the weekend, where they confirmed the aviators had died. The Navy said the Growler was on a “routine training flight” when it went down. No other details about the crash have been released. The Eisenhower’s commander, Capt. Chris “Chowdah” Hill, tweeted that both women had served “heroically” on the ship’s combat deployment. “My heart truly goes out to the families, friends, and shipmates of these two fallen Naval Aviators who were confirmed killed in an EA-18G crash last week in Washington. These warriors of VAQ-130 will forever be part of the Ike family, having served with us heroically on our recent deployment. I loved working with them both — just incredible energy and beautiful souls,” Hill wrote. the jet carrying the two crew members went down during Loaded: 100.00% Pause Current Time 0:18 / Duration 0:28 Quality Settings Captions Fullscreen Straight Arrow News Navy confirms deaths of 2 crew members after jet crashes in Washington Unmute 0 View on Watch During the deployment, Evans was awarded two Single Action Air Medals with Combat “C” devices, an indication of having flown on two particularly difficult or meaningful missions, along with three Strike-Flight Air Medals. Evans was also a graduate of the 12-week HAVOC course at NAS Fallon, the “Top Gun” school of the Growler community. She was named the Growler Tactics Instructor of the Year for fiscal year 2024. Evans’ other awards also include a Combat Action Ribbon. Wileman, a pilot since 2022, earned a Combat Action Ribbon and three Strike-Flight Air Medals on the Red Sea deployment. The commander of the Eisenhower’s air wing said Evans and Wileman will be remembered for their tenacity, contributions to the defense of others, and positive energy they brought to Naval Aviation. “I have personally flown with both of these Great Americans in both training and dynamic combat operations, and they always performed professionally and precisely,” said Capt. Marvin Scott in a release. “As true leaders in the Growler community, VAQ-130, and across my Air Wing, their contributions cannot be overstated; I could not be more proud to have served with each of them. Every member of the CVW-3 Battle Axe Team is heartbroken at the loss of these exceptional warriors; Dug and Miley truly represent the best that Naval Aviation has to offer, and they will absolutely be missed.”
7 hours ago7 hr I listened to these guys a few years ago. Wasn't impressed in the least. Gave it another try for this video. Even less impressed. Don't waste your time. Additionally, the "wink-wink, nod-nod" during flight discipline discussions gives insight in to how they conducted their training sorties.
1 hour ago1 hr 6 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:Cliff notes?I'd wondered the same, as I wasn't ready to sign on for a 36 minute podcast / video / whatever.Went wading into the YouTube comments, and I assume this about covers it........@Olddognewtricks1224 months agoFormer Growler pilot here. This incident happened after my time, but I do know -1 pilot as he and I were on nearly the same career timeline. I have no inside information nor have I spoke with anyone involved. To lay the blame on the lead pilot in this case is a real shame and nothing more than big Navy deflecting the blame onto an easy target. There is no way the JAGMAN investigation report was written by a competent aircrew without coercion or pressure from somewhere else... it's the same thing they have done in the SEAL community with folks like Capt Geary. Were there some minor rule violations? Yes, but nothing that caused -2 to drive into a mountain. The weather for the day was typical for trying to do a low level in Whidbey for any month outside of June-August. 4 out of 5 flights on the VR1355 during any other month you would have to leave the route early at about the same location as the crash. Being a fini flight with to desire to fly entire route, weather was likely the most discussed part of the brief outside of the minimum SOF items and training rules including the MRM which is required for any LL. The 175-1 from San Diego is a sub par product and only makes you "Legal". In my time there you simply used the generic area wx brief they updated every 2 hours for local flights.-2 pilot was a relatively inexperienced pilot with nearly no currency and most certainly lacked any kind of proficiency in the aircraft due to no fault of her own. She was likely behind the jet and either heads down in the cockpit fumbling with the radar and or froze/hesitated when going lost sight and hearing the MRM call. Additionally, her mental state was potentially further affected by a foreign substance in her system.My $.02, the cause... due to manning issues and a lack of resources, the squadron is forced into a maintenance phase post deployment where the Navy robs the unit of people, parts, aircraft and flight hours. The hours allotted aren't enough to keep the most experienced pilots proficient in the aircraft. Experienced people in the squadron are pulled early to move to other deploying or production units and parts are pulled out of good airplanes to keep the deploying ones ready. The lead pilot likely had the hours he did in the prior 30 days because he was one of the only flight leads left in the unit. The squadron limps along doing the best they can with the resources available but it affects ops and maintenance together.I bet they were all good on SAPR, cyber awareness, and had their flu shot though.The FNAEB really leaves a sour taste. I just hope his CO, the CMDRE and others went to bat for him, but unfortunately doing that can ruin their careers too. The investigating officer will get his EP.
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