Two Growlers crash at Mountain Home Air Force Base, four eject safely
Two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers collided and crashed during an aerial demonstration at mountain home air force base on Sunday, and all four crew members ejected safely. The base later locked down, while Idaho Transportation closed SH-167 from Simco Rd to SH-67 near the installation for a multi-day investigation response.
Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said the jets were from Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, and that the four crew members were being evaluated by medical personnel. Nobody at the military base was hurt.
Mountain Home Air Force Base crash
The aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when they came together over the show. Videos posted online by spectators showed four parachutes opening as the planes dropped toward the ground near the base, and one video captured by Shane Ogden showed the aircraft appearing to make contact before spinning in tandem as the crew members ejected.
Ogden said in a text message, “I was just filming thinking they were going to split apart and that happened and I filmed the rest.” The planes fell together and exploded into a fireball upon impact as the crew members dropped to the ground nearby.
Gunfighter Skies at Mountain Home
This year’s Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron headlined the show both days. The National Weather Service reported good visibility and winds gusting up to 29 mph around the time of the crash.
Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, said, “Everyone is safe and I think that's the most important thing.”
SH-167 closure near Simco Rd
The crash also closed a stretch of SH-167 near Mountain Home Air Force Base, cutting off travel from Simco Rd to SH-67 as investigators responded. Idaho Transportation said the closure is expected to last multiple days.
Air show safety has stayed under close watch across an industry that holds roughly 200 events each year in the U.S., and John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, said, “Safety wise we've enjoyed really an unprecedented term of few accidents.” The last fatal air show crash before Sunday came in 2022 in Dallas, where two vintage military planes collided and killed six people.
