{"id":600,"date":"2026-07-30T18:20:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/?p=600"},"modified":"2026-07-30T18:20:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T18:20:28","slug":"2-breaking-news-sad-news-just-confirmed-the-passing-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/?p=600","title":{"rendered":"2.BREAKING NEWS!! Sad news just confirmed the passing of\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>The\u00a0U.S. Navy\u00a0has officially identified the two crew members lost in the fatal crash of an\u00a0EA-18G Growler\u00a0near\u00a0Mount Rainier, Washington. Lt. Cmdr.\u00a0Lyndsay P. Evans\u00a0and Lt.\u00a0Serena N. Wileman, both 31, were distinguished members of the\u00a0Electronic Attack Squadron 130, famously known as the \u201cZappers.\u201d Based at\u00a0Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, these aviators were recognized for their tactical excellence and historic contributions to naval aviation.\u00a0Evans, a\u00a0Naval Flight Officer, was a trailblazer who participated in the first all-female\u00a0Super Bowl LVII\u00a0flyover in 2023.\u00a0Wileman, a\u00a0Naval Aviator, was a highly decorated pilot whose service included the\u00a0Navy Unit Commendation Medal\u00a0and\u00a0Combat Action Ribbon.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Recovery operations are currently underway in the steep, heavily wooded terrain of the\u00a0Cascade Mountains, where wreckage was located at an altitude of approximately 6,000 feet. The complex operation shifted from search-and-rescue to recovery after officials confirmed the aviators had perished. Washington Governor\u00a0Jay Inslee\u00a0authorized the\u00a0National Guard\u00a0to provide 24-hour security at the site to assist\u00a0Navy\u00a0salvage teams as they navigate the difficult environment. The\u00a0EA-18G Growler, a critical $67 million electronic warfare platform derived from the\u00a0F\/A-18 Super Hornet, was performing a routine training flight when the accident occurred. The exact cause of the crash remains the subject of a rigorous ongoing investigation by military authorities.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>The loss has reverberated through the military community, drawing tributes from high-ranking officials and fellow service members. U.S. Senator\u00a0Patty Murray\u00a0described\u00a0Evans\u00a0as a pioneering leader who broke barriers, noting that both women paved the way for future generations of female aviators. Squadron Commander\u00a0Timothy Warburton\u00a0emphasized that the current priority remains supporting the families of the fallen and the wider\u00a0Growler community. As the\u00a0Navy\u00a0prepares for a long-term salvage effort, the legacy of\u00a0Evans\u00a0and\u00a0Wileman\u2014built on courage and professional achievement\u2014will continue to inspire those within the\u00a0Electronic Attack\u00a0community and the broader naval aviation fleet.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\">\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"2028892\" data-uid=\"139d1\">\n<div id=\"mgw2028892_139d1\">\n<div class=\"mgbox\">\n<div class=\"mgheader\" data-template-type=\"header\" data-template-placed=\"before\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0U.S. Navy\u00a0has officially identified the two crew members lost in the fatal crash of an\u00a0EA-18G Growler\u00a0near\u00a0Mount Rainier, Washington. Lt. Cmdr.\u00a0Lyndsay P. Evans\u00a0and Lt.\u00a0Serena N. Wileman, both 31, were distinguished members &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":602,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600\/revisions\/602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/checkthenews.store\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}