Four U.S. Navy aviators ejected safely after two EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets collided during an aerial demonstration at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, on May 17.
“All four of the aircrew successfully ejected and they are being evaluated by medical personnel,” Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, told Task & Purpose. Base officials confirmed all four crew members were in stable condition.
The jets were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, the “Vikings” EA-18G Growler Demo Team from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and collided at approximately 12:10 PM two miles northwest of the base. Each aircraft carries a pilot and an electronic warfare officer.
Video posted to social media appeared to show the two Growlers locking together, pitching sharply upward, and cartwheeling into the ground as all four crew members ejected. An air show announcer told spectators, “We had four good parachutes. The crews were able to eject. They’re located one mile south of where the smoke is.” The show was immediately cancelled and Mountain Home Police Department placed the base on lockdown.
BREAKING: 2 U.S. Navy Super Hornets/Growlers crash and collide during Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
Aviation sources tell KTVB that both aircrews ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/GPsdrwTFWq
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 17, 2026
The 2026 Gunfighter Skies show was the first held in eight years, following a fatal 2018 hang glider accident that cancelled the previous edition. Sunday’s incident was the third major aviation emergency in 23 years at the Mountain Home air show.
The EA-18G is a variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet configured for radar jamming and electronic attack. At $67 million per aircraft, per NAVAIR, the two destroyed jets represent an estimated $134 million in combined airframe losses.
Sunday’s crash brings to four the number of Whidbey Island-based EA-18G Growlers lost in non-combat incidents since October 2024, following a fatal training crash near Mount Rainier and a second incident over San Diego Bay in February 2025.
SSgt. Antwain Hanks with the U.S. Air Force confirmed an investigation is underway. The identities of the four crew members had not been released.
