Aircrews safely eject after two Navy jets collide during air show
Four naval aviators flying with the Navy’s E/A-18G Growler Demonstration Team ejected after their two jets collided in mid-air during an air show at an Air Force base in Idaho.
At approximately 12:10 p.m., the two Navy E/A-18G assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 from Whidbey Island, Washington collided during their demonstration, Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, told Task & Purpose. Each E/A-18G flies with both a pilot and an electronic warfare officer.
“All four of the aircrew successfully ejected and they are being evaluated by medical personnel,” Umayam said. “First responders are on the scene.”
A photo posted by KBTV and a video posted to the popular Amn/nco/snco Facebook page appeared to show the two fighters locked together in the air and tumbling towards the ground as all four crew members eject.
The incident happened two miles northwest of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show, a base spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
Planes became locked in mid-air
Video posted to social media shows the two Growlers flying close together before, extraordinarily, they appear to become locked together in mid-air as one smashes onto the top of the second. The two planes then pitch upwards and appear to stall, prompting both crews to eject, less than five seconds after the initial collision.
The planes then cartwheel to the ground, still stuck together, crash and explode. All four parachutes are seen inflated and drifting downward.
Witnesses and media flooded social media with photos of thick black smoke from the airshow. The Idaho Statesman reported that an air show announcer said, “We had four good parachutes. The crews were able to eject.”
The E/A-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 fighter with weapons and electronic systems dedicated to electronic warfare tasks, like finding and attacking enemy radar locations. VAQ-129 is, like nearly of the Navy’s Growler units, based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, which is also home to the initial schoolhouse for pilots and flight officers assigned to the plane.
A Whidbey-based E/A-18G crashed in 2024 on a training flight near Mt. Rainier.
KTVB also posted an interview Navy Lt. Kevin Lynch, a member of the demonstration team, that appeared to be taken Saturday.
Four pilots and four electronic warfare officers from the Navy’s Growler Airshow Team were taking part in the Gunfighter Skies Airshow.
This year’s Gunfighter Skies show was the first held in eight years. In 2018, a hang glider died during a crash. The two-day air show features vintage aircraft as well as airshow teams from the Navy and Air Force.
Update: 5/17/2026; This story has been updated with a statement from Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
This is a developing story.
The post Aircrews safely eject after two Navy jets collide during air show appeared first on Task & Purpose.
Four naval aviators ejected after their two E/A-18G Growler jets collided during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, at approximately 12:10 p.m. Both aircraft became locked together in mid-air before crashing. All crew members were reported safe and are being evaluated by medical personnel.
- Two Navy E/A-18G jets collided during an air show in Idaho.
- All four crew members successfully ejected and are being evaluated by medical personnel.
- The incident occurred at approximately 12:10 p.m. during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show.
- The planes became locked together in mid-air before crashing.
- The E/A-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 fighter used for electronic warfare.