Video: Heart-Stopping Moment 2 Navy Fighter Jets Collide, Appear to Fuse Together Into Single Craft Before Crashing
Two U.S. Navy E/A-18G “Growler” jets collided midair during the Gunfighter Skies air show at Mountain Home air Base in Idaho around 12:10 p.m. local time. It involved four pilots from Electronic Attack Squadron 129. All four pilots ejected successfully and parachuted to safety; an air show announcer said emergency crews were responding and that the parachutes deployed properly.
One of the aircraft caught fire, and the crash triggered a fire that consumed about 25 acres before it was put out. the base reportedly went into lockdown after the incident, and at least one plane debris field reportedly landed on a highway.
Two Navy jets collided midair Sunday at an air show being held at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho.
The Gunfighter Skies air show crash took place at about 12:10 p.m. local time, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Although the two planes fell in a twisted mass of smoking wreckage, all four pilots aboard parachuted to safety.
The crash involved two E/A-18G “Vikings” Growler aircraft flown by four pilots from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 from Whidbey Island, a 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office news release said.
Footage of the mid air collision between a pair of Navy Super Hornets/Growlers during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base moments ago. pic.twitter.com/yQqPavmSWk
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 17, 2026
“All four of the air crew successfully ejected and they are being evaluated by medical personnel,” the 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office said.
“We had four good parachutes,” an air show announcer told those in attendance.
“The crews were able to eject. They’re located one mile south of where the smoke is. The parachutes came down,” the announcer said.
The announcer later added, “Crash fire rescue and various other emergency services are on their way to the pilots and crew. There were four good parachutes. That is always a positive in our world. If you are so inclined to take the time now to say a prayer.”
Spectator David Katz said he saw the collision before one jet caught fire, according to Fox News.
A pair of EA-18G Growlers reportedly suffered a mid air collision during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base.
4 parachutes reported. pic.twitter.com/GHAIqUQbcu
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 17, 2026
“We saw the smoke and fireball,” Katz said. “Apparently they collided there. One of the planes was impacted and started burning in the air.”
The Mountain Home Gunfighters, which organized the event, said the base was on lockdown after the incident, according to the New York Post.
The last time the show was held in 2018, a hang glider pilot died in an accident. In 2003, a pilot in the Thunderbirds air show team ejected before his plane crashed.
A deputy with the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office said one plane landed on a highway, according to KIVI-TV.
The crash started a fire that consumed 25 acres before it was extinguished, he said.
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