Two U.S. Navy "Growler" Jets Collide

Reference News Network reported on May 20 According to the Associated Press on May 17, U.S. officials stated that two U.S. Navy jets collided during a flight demonstration at Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho on the 17th, and all four crew members on board safely ejected.

Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet Naval Aviation, said that two Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft from the 129th Electronic Warfare Squadron collided and subsequently crashed.

Umayam stated in a release that the two aircraft collided while performing a flight demonstration. She said that all four crew members on the two aircraft safely ejected, and the collision incident is under investigation.

Kim Sykes, marketing director of the Silver Wings organization in Idaho that helped plan the airshow, said that no one was injured on the military base.

Mountain Home Air Force Base posted on social media that the base was immediately locked down following the crash incident. The remaining segments of the airshow were canceled.

Videos posted online by spectators showed the aircraft falling near the base about 80 kilometers south of Boise, with four parachutes deployed in the sky at the time of the incident.

The EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft is a modified version of the F/A-18 Super Hornet carrier-based fighter jet, equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems.

On-site videos showed that the two aircraft appeared to make contact, then spun simultaneously, with the crew ejecting and deploying parachutes. The two aircraft then fell together, exploding upon impact with the ground and creating a fireball, while the crew members slowly descended to the ground nearby. (Translated by Hu Xue)