Two US Navy E/A-18G Growler jets collided mid-air during an aerial demonstration at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show near Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday afternoon. All four crew members aboard the two aircraft ejected safely before the jets crashed and exploded approximately two miles from the base, according to Commander Amelia Umayam, a spokeswoman for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet.
Video footage captured by spectators and shared widely across social media shows the two jets approaching each other during the demonstration before making contact in a dramatic collision. Four parachutes can be seen deploying against the clear Idaho sky as the pilots and weapons systems officers ejected moments before impact. The aircraft then plummeted to the ground, producing large fireballs and plumes of black smoke visible from miles away.
Mountain Home Air Force Base was immediately placed on lockdown following the incident. Emergency crews from the base and surrounding Elmore County rushed to the crash sites to locate the ejected crew members and secure the wreckage. The base confirmed in a social media post that all four crew members were found safe and were being evaluated by medical personnel as a precaution.
The air show announcer informed the thousands of spectators at the event that all pilots involved in the crash were found safe, drawing applause and visible relief from the crowd. Many families with children were in attendance at the two-day event, which featured demonstrations from multiple military aircraft and civilian performers. The remainder of the air show was cancelled following the collision.
The E/A-18G Growler is an electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet, operated exclusively by the US Navy. The aircraft is designed for electronic attack missions and carries sophisticated jamming equipment. Each Growler carries a pilot and a weapons systems officer, accounting for the four crew members who ejected during Sunday's incident.
The Navy and the Air Force have opened an investigation into the cause of the collision. Mid-air collisions during air shows are extremely rare but not unprecedented. Safety protocols for aerial demonstrations have been tightened significantly over the past two decades following several high-profile accidents at air shows around the world. Investigators will examine flight data, cockpit communications, and the demonstration flight plan to determine what went wrong.
The incident drew international attention, with media outlets across Europe and Asia covering the dramatic footage. Sky News and the Times of India both led with the story, highlighting the remarkable fact that all four crew members survived thanks to the ejection seats, which are designed to function at extremely high speeds and low altitudes.
The Gunfighter Skies Air Show is an annual event held at Mountain Home Air Force Base that typically draws tens of thousands of visitors from across the Pacific Northwest. The base is home to the 366th Fighter Wing and serves as one of the primary training facilities for tactical air operations in the western United States. The incident is expected to prompt a review of air show safety procedures across all military installations.