The US Navy has released the names of the two naval aviators who died when their jet crashed near Mount Rainier last Tuesday.

Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans, a 31-year-old naval aviator from California, and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, a 31-year-old naval aviator from California, died in the Oct. 15 crash, the Navy revealed in a short statement Monday.

The Navy announced late Sunday morning that the two crew members of an EA-18G Growler jet, previously listed as missing, died in the crash.

“Electronic Attack Wing Pacific transitioned from search and rescue efforts to recovery operations on Sunday,” the Navy said in a news release sent to members of the media, including KIRO Newsradio. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The pilots’ identities will be kept secret until a day after their next of kin are notified. The Navy said it was doing so “out of respect for the families and consistent with Navy policy.”

“It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of two beloved Zappers,” said Cmdr. Timothy Warburton, commanding officer of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, said in a press release. “Our priority at this time is caring for the families of our fallen Airmen and ensuring the well-being of our Sailors and the Growler community. We are grateful for the continued teamwork that enabled us to safely recover the deceased.”

“Our priority at this time is caring for the families of our fallen Airmen. … We are grateful for the continued teamwork that enabled us to safely recover the deceased,” said Captain David Ganci, commander of the Electronic Attack Wing of the US Pacific Fleet, according to the Associated Press (AP).

A U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft crashed east of Mount Rainier during a routine training flight just after 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Navy confirmed. Multiple search and rescue attempts were conducted, including using a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, to locate the crew and investigate the crash site.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) initially wrote in a press release last week that the status of the two crew members was unknown.

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The jet was eventually found on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier, but the crew members could not be located.

“We know it’s a remote place. We know it is inaccessible to motorized vehicles,” Commander Beth Teach, a Naval Air Forces spokeswoman, told KIRO Newsradio on Wednesday while search and rescue efforts were still active.

The Navy had to work with local authorities and tribal communities to allow rescuers access to the site. Along with local law enforcement and partner agencies, Navy teams said they reached the site where a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler crashed on Friday, an earlier news release said.

Army Special Forces soldiers trained in mountaineering, high-altitude rescue and technical communications were called in to reach the wreckage, which was discovered Wednesday by a flight team at about 6,000 feet in a remote, steep and heavily forested area east of Mount Rainier was located. officials said, the AP reported.

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On board the aircraft were the pilot and an electronic warfare officer. The Navy is unsure whether the pilot and officer were able to eject in time. Although they are a routine military training mission, CBS military analyst Jeff McCausland said they can still be dangerous.

“They can be very dangerous because they obviously want to simulate combat conditions as much as possible,” McCausland said. “First we will recover. The crew dispatched an MH60 to search the crash site and look for any possibilities the crew could eliminate.”

“Did the plane change course dramatically? “Did it hit the ground straight away or did it fly further before it crashed?” asked McCausland.

The aircraft, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is part of Electronic Attack Squadron 130, known as “Zappers.”

“The VAQ-130 ‘Zappers’ are based at NAS Whidbey Island and recently completed a combat deployment on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower as the sole E/A-18G Growler squadron with Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3,” NASWI wrote a prepared statement.

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All but one of the Navy’s Growler squadrons are stationed at NASWI.

The first production of the Growler was delivered to Whidbey Island in 2008. Over the past 15 years, the Growler has deployed around the globe supporting major operations, the Navy said. In the plane there is a pilot sitting at the front and an electronics technician behind him.

“The EA-18G Growler aircraft we fly represents the most advanced airborne electronic attack technology and represents the Navy’s first line of defense in hostile environments,” the Navy said on its website. Each plane costs about $67 million.

Exercise and travel on military aircraft can be dangerous, sometimes resulting in crashes, injuries and 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.

Editor’s note: This story was first published on Wednesday, October 16. Since then it has been updated and republished several times.

Contributors: The Associated Press; KIRO Newsradio employee

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and email him here.

Steve Coogan is the managing editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Keep following Steve Xor send him an email here.