Navy finds wreckage of fighter jet that crashed during training in Washington state

The U.S. Navy located the wreckage Wednesday of a fighter jet that crashed in Washington state during a routine training flight in mountainous terrain. The two crew members onboard remain missing.

The EA-18G Growler jet from the Electronic Attack Squadron crashed east of Mount Rainier at about 3:23 p.m. Tuesday, according to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Search teams, including a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, launched from NAS Whidbey Island to try to find the crew and examine the crash site.

Aerial search crews located the wreckage at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mike Welding, spokesperson for the air station, said in a statement. The crash site was on a mountainside east of Mount Rainier, he said. The status of the crew was unknown. The Navy plans to deploy search teams into the remote area that is not accessible by motorized vehicles. Snow is expected in the Cascades through the weekend.

Navy officials said they didn't know if the two crew members managed to eject before the crash, which remains under investigation.