Watch Two Navy Jet Planes Collide At Gunfighter Skies Event In Idaho

An Idaho Air Force base was locked down after a midair collision Sunday over the shock collision of two US Navy jets at an air show at Mountain Home Air Force base. Officials said the collision left no victims, as the four crew members involved in the aircraft are safe and can be seen parachuting as the two planes fell to the ground.

According to Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet, the collision involved two US Navy EA-18G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington.

Moreover, according to the spokesperson, the two aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when the incident happened, but the four crew members from both jets were able to safely eject from the planes and were then evaluated by medical personnel. Cndr Umayam confirmed that the midair crash between the two jets is under investigation.

According to Kim Sykes, marketing director for Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped to plan the air show, nobody on the ground at the military base was hurt in the incident. “Everyone is safe, and I think that’s the most important thing,” Sykes said.

In a social media post on Sunday, the Mountain Home Air Force base explained that it was locked down following the air collision, which occurred during the Gunfighter Skies air show. Reportedly, responders were quickly on the scene, and an investigation is now under way.

According to multiple witnesses, the two planes crashed, and videos of the incident posted online revealed four parachutes opening in the sky. The crew had ejected as the planes plummeted to the ground close to the air base, which is located around 50 miles (80 km) south of Boise, Idaho.

One witness is Shane Ogden, who said he was capturing the two jets on video as they drew close together. He then captured on video the two EA-18G Growler aircraft as they appeared to make contact. At that time, the planes spun in tandem, as the four crew members ejected and their parachutes safely opened. Ogden explained that the two planes then fell together, exploding into a fireball on impact, as the crew members dropped safely to the ground close by.

“I was just filming, thinking they were going to split apart, and that happened, and I filmed the rest,” Ogden said in a text message. He said he left soon after the crash because he did not want to impede emergency responders as they rushed to the scene.

Meanwhile, the Mountain Home police department also issued a notice, stating that the air show had been canceled due to the crash. Police cautioned people not to travel to the area.

According to organizers, the popular air show includes flying demonstrations and is a celebration of aviation history, with a close look at the capabilities of the modern air force.

The air show’s official site lists the E/A-18G “Vikings” Growler demo team as one of the scheduled performers. Meanwhile, the Gunfighter Skies event was the first held at the base since 2018, when a hang glider died in a crash during an air show performance.

Back in 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver. In that case, the pilot wasn’t hurt and managed to steer the plane away from the crowd. He also ejected less than a second before the plane crashed to the ground.

The air force base describes the naming of the Gunfighters on its official website, writing:

“We earned our distinguished nickname in 1967 when the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing was stationed at Da Nang Air Base, Vietnam. Aircrew were missing opportunities to shoot down enemy aircraft because there were no machine guns installed on the F-4C Phantom II and it's missiles were ineffective at short ranges. However, wing aircrew and maintainers came up with a solution to mount 20-millimeter Gatling gun pods on the F-4C's. This innovation proved to be successful and resulted in the wing earning a Presidential Unit Citation and the nickname of "the Gunfighters."

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