Rescue crews responded to a crash during the Gunfighter Skies air show at Idaho’s Mountain Home Air Force Base on Sunday. Four crew members are safe after two navy jets collided and crashed to the ground during the weekend air show at the military base in western Idaho, officials said.
Collision Details
The collision involved two US Navy EA-18G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet. The aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when the crash occurred, Umayam said in a statement. She confirmed that all four crew members from both jets safely ejected and were being evaluated by medical personnel. The crash is under investigation.
Nobody at the military base was hurt, said Kim Sykes, the marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show. “Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” Sykes said.
Lockdown and Response
The Mountain Home Air Force Base said in a social media post that it was locked down following the incident. Responders were on the scene and an investigation is underway. Multiple witnesses reported seeing two planes crash, and videos posted online showed four parachutes opening in the sky as the planes plummeted to the ground near the base, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Boise.
Shane Ogden said he was filming the two jets as they came close together. A video he captured shows the two aircraft appear to make contact and then spin in tandem as the crew members eject and their parachutes open. The planes then fall together, exploding into a fireball upon impact as the crew members drop to the ground nearby. “I was just filming thinking they were going to split apart and that happened and I filmed the rest,” Ogden said. He left soon after the crash to avoid interfering with emergency responders.
Air Show Cancelled
The Mountain Home Police Department issued a notice that the air show was cancelled and cautioned people not to travel to the area. Organizers say the popular air show, which includes flying demonstrations, is a celebration of aviation history and a look at modern air force capabilities. The air show’s official site lists the E/A-18G “Vikings” Growler demo team as one of the scheduled performers.
This year’s Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, when a hang glider died in a crash during an air show performance. In 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver. The pilot, who was not hurt, was able to steer the plane away from the crowd and eject less than a second before it hit the ground.
