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Mountain Home Air Force Base was placed on lockdown and its Gunfighter Skies Air Show abruptly cancelled Sunday after two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler jets from the service's Growler Demonstration Team collided in mid-air approximately two miles northwest of the base, according to a base spokesperson. All four crew members aboard the two aircraft ejected and were later reported safe.
Video circulated widely on social media showing the two jets flying in close formation before appearing to lock together and cartwheel out of the sky.
Four parachutes could be seen separating from the stricken aircraft before they struck the ground and exploded, sending a thick column of black smoke into the air visible from multiple vantage points.
A base spokesperson confirmed an "incident" had forced the cancellation of the event, adding that emergency responders had reached the scene and that an investigation was underway. "More details will be released as they become available," the spokesperson said.
An announcer at the show told the crowd that four good parachutes had been observed and that the crews had successfully ejected. He later confirmed the four were "found safe."
The two aircraft involved were identified as belonging to the Navy's Growler Airshow Team, which had four pilots and four electronic warfare officers participating in the two-day event. KTVB posted an interview with Navy Lt. Kevin Lynch, a member of the team, that appeared to have been recorded Saturday, the first day of the show.
The EA-18G Growler is a twin-seat variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet configured specifically for electronic warfare, carrying systems designed to detect and suppress enemy radar and air defense networks. The Navy's Growler fleet is largely based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state, which also serves as the principal training schoolhouse for aircrew assigned to the platform.
The Gunfighter Skies Air Show had only just resumed after an eight-year hiatus. The event had not been held since 2018, when a hang glider died in a crash during the show. This year's two-day event featured vintage aircraft in addition to demonstration teams from both the Navy and Air Force.
Mountain Home Air Force Base, located in southern Idaho, is home to the 366th Fighter Wing and operates as one of the Air Force's premier composite wing installations. Following Sunday's collision, base officials confirmed the lockdown and asked the public to avoid the area while emergency and crash, fire and rescue crews responded to the site of the wreckage.
The cause of the collision has not been disclosed, and the investigation is in its earliest stages.
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