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A fighter jet with two people on board crashed during training in Washington state, according to the US Navy

A fighter jet with two people on board crashed during training in Washington state, according to the US Navy

The U.S. Navy was searching Wednesday for two airmen whose plane crashed during a routine training flight.

According to the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, the Electronic Attack Squadron's EA-18G Growler jet crashed east of Mount Rainier around 3:23 p.m. on Tuesday. Search teams, including a US Navy MH-60S helicopter, were launched from NAS Whidbey Island to try to find the crew and investigate the crash site.

The Navy has not said whether the two crew members managed to eject before the crash. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The EA-18G Growler is similar to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and features sophisticated electronic warfare equipment. Most Growler squadrons are stationed on Whidbey Island. One squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.

The “Zappers” were recently deployed on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Exercise and travel on military aircraft can be dangerous and sometimes result in crashes, injuries or deaths.

In May, an F-35 fighter jet en route from Texas to Edwards Air Force Base crashed near Los Angeles after the pilot stopped to refuel in New Mexico. In this case, the pilot was the only person on board and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Last year, eight U.S. Air Force special operations team members died when a CV-22B Osprey aircraft they were flying crashed off the coast of Japan.

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