Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler jets collided mid-air during an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho on Sunday, resulting in all four crew members ejecting safely according to multiple reports.
Key Takeaways
Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler jets collided mid-air during an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday. All four crew members ejected safely with no injuries reported among spectators or base personnel. The crash site is about 3.2 kilometers from the base, and State Highway 167 remains closed for several days while the investigation continues.
- Four crew members ejected safely after mid-air collision of two Navy jets
- Crash occurred during an aerial demonstration at Mountain Home Air Force Base
- No injuries reported among spectators or base personnel
- State Highway 167 near the crash site remains closed for investigation
- The incident is under investigation by military officials
The collision involved two aircraft from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 based out of Whidbey Island, Washington. Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, stated that the planes were performing an aerial demonstration when they crashed around 12:10 MDT.
Videos posted online showed the two planes colliding in mid-air followed by a burst of flame and all four pilots ejecting with their parachutes deployed. The crash site was about 3.2 kilometers from the base, near State Highway 167, which remains closed for several days while the investigation continues according to TimesLIVE.
The air show was canceled following the incident, and the base was locked down per CBS News. Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show, confirmed that all four crew members ejected safely but did not witness the crash herself. The National Weather Service reported good visibility and winds gusting up to 29 mph around the time of the crash.
The crash is under investigation by military officials. According to HuffPost, aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti suggested that the pilots may have had enough time to eject safely because the planes remained stuck together in midair before falling. Crews usually don’t have a chance to eject in a midair collision, he noted.
The last fatal crash at an air show occurred in 2022 when two vintage military planes collided in Dallas, killing six people according to HuffPost. John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, noted that safety measures have significantly reduced accidents over the past decade.
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