The U.S. Navy has officially identified the two crew members killed when an EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft crashed near Mount Rainier, Washington, on October 15, 2024. Lt. Cmdr. Lyndsay P. Evans and Lt. Serena N. Wileman, both 31, were distinguished officers assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 130—known as the “Zappers”—based out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. The jet went down in steep, heavily forested terrain at an elevation of approximately 6,000 feet in the Cascade Mountains during a routine training flight. Emergency crews confirmed the aviators had perished before transitioning operations from search-and-rescue to a complex recovery effort.
Both aviators possessed exemplary military records and were regarded as trailblazers within naval aviation. Evans, a Naval Flight Officer, gained national recognition in 2023 when she participated in the historic first all-female Super Bowl flyover. Wileman, a decorated Naval Aviator, earned the Navy Unit Commendation Medal and Combat Action Ribbon. The pair had recently returned from an extended deployment aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower with Carrier Air Wing 3, during which they actively flew combat operations, demonstrating exceptional technical skill and operational bravery under intense high-stress conditions.