Whidbey-based Navy EA6-B Prowler crashes; 1 injured

By Susanna Ray

Herald Writer

One person in a three-member aircrew was injured this afternoon when an EA-6B Prowler crashed near Forks, the Navy said. The search for the plane will probably be called off until daylight.

The crew member suffered a possible broken leg and was taken by ambulance to Olympic Memorial Hospital in Port Angeles. The other two were ambulatory and able to walk to a rescue helicopter that was taking them back to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, where they are based, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Robert Linier.

Lt. Kim Marks, spokeswoman for Navy Region Northwest, said Navy controllers lost contact with the jet at about 1:30 p.m. while it was flying a training mission over the Olympic Mountains. It had two instructors and one student aboard.

The Coast Guard and Navy both sent helicopters to the scene and the three were found at about 3 p.m. along Highway 101 just south of the Klahowya Campground in the Olympic National Forest, said Ken Eldredge, a forest spokesman. The location is about 18 miles inland of Forks in a heavily wooded area of rolling foothills and ridges. The plane’s exact location wasn’t known, and foggy conditions and deepening dusk were hampering the search this afternoon, Eldredge added.

“We’ve got people on the ground looking for it right now, but the weather is hindering things,” he said. “It’s not like we’re searching for people and bodies, so they’ll probably stop the ground search until daylight tomorrow.”

Prowlers are radar-jamming jets that normally carry a crew of four — one pilot and three crew members — and are used to provide air protection for fighter jets. All the Navy’s Prowlers are based at the naval air station in Oak Harbor.

You can call Herald Writer Susanna Ray at 425-339-3439

or send e-mail to ray@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Addison Tubbs, 17, washes her cow Skor during load-in before the start of the Evergreen State Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Evergreen State Fair ready to shine in Monroe

Organizers have loaded the venue with two weeks of entertainment and a massive agricultural showcase.

Traffic moves northbound in a new HOV lane on I-5 between Everett and Marysville on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett to Marysville HOV lane opens to mixed reviews

Not everybody is happy with the project to ease the commute between the two cities.

ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Mifthakof, left, shows Gov. Jay Inslee a hydrogen-powered motor during an event at ZeroAvia’s new Everett facility on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, near Paine Field in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
FAA awards ZeroAvia in Everett $4.2M toward sustainable flight goals

The aerospace company will use federal grant to advance technology at new facility. Statewide, aviation projects received $38M.

An Everett Police boat is visible from Edgewater Beach as they continue to search for a kayaker that went missing after a storm on Sunday on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024 in Mukilteo, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett police continue search for missing kayaker

Searchers began using an underwater drone on Tuesday night and continue to search Wednesday.

A dump truck passes through the mudslide cleanup area on Highway 20 in the North Cascades. The slide happened Aug. 11 after heavy rain. (Photo provided by WSDOT)
North Cascades Highway still buried under thick debris in spots

Highway 20 remains closed as cleanup continues from a mudslide earlier this month.

Everett
Everett police investigate shooting that left four wounded

Four people remain in stable condition as of Tuesday at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

Christina Cratty, right, and her mother Storm Diamond, left, light a candle for their family member Monique (Mo) Wier who died from an overdose last July during A Night to Remember, A Time to Act opioid awareness event at the Snohomish County Campus on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘It’s not a cake walk’: Overdose event spotlights treatment in Snohomish County

Recovery from drug addiction is not “one-size-fits-all,” survivors and experts say.

A Link light rail train pulls into the Mountlake Terrace station on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A brief timeline of the Lynnwood light rail extension

Four stations were added Friday in Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood as part of the 8.5-mile, $3.1 billion project.

People cheer as ribbon is cut and confetti flys during the Lynnwood 1 Line extension opening celebrations on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Today feels like Christmas’: Lynnwood light rail is here at last

Fifteen years after voters put the wheels in motion, Link stations opened in Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline on Friday.

3 injured in Everett apartment fire

Early Friday, firefighters responded to a fire at the Fulton’s Crossing and Landing apartments at 120 SE Everett Mall Way.

Jill Diner, center, holds her son Sam Diner, 2, while he reacts to the shaking of the Big Shaker, the world’s largest mobile earthquake simulator, with his siblings on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
All shook up: Marysville gets a taste of 7.0 magnitude quake

On Thursday, locals lined up at Delta Plaza to experience an earthquake with the “Big Shaker” simulator.

Outside of Everett City Hall and the Everett Police Department on Jan. 3. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves buyouts amid financial woes

The buyout measure comes after voters rejected a property tax levy lid lift. Officials said at least 131 employees are eligible.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.