Four crew members eject safely after military jets collide at Idaho air show

WASHINGTON: Four crew members safely ejected after two military aircraft collided in mid-air on Sunday near Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho during an air show, the US Navy said.

Cmdr Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet, said the two E/A-18G Growler jets collided about 2 miles from the base during the two-day Gunfighter Skies Air Show.

According to Umayam, the aircraft, carrying four air crew in total, collided at around 12:10pm MDT while taking part in an aerial demonstration as part of the event. She said all four crew members ejected safely.

"The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available," Umayam said.

Base locked down after collision

Mountain Home Air Force Base was placed under lockdown after the crash, according to a post on the base’s Facebook page.

The official website of the Gunfighter Skies Air Show listed the US Navy’s E/A-18G Vikings Growler Demo Team among the scheduled performers for the event.

Umayam said the two aircraft involved in the collision were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129, based at Whidbey Island in Washington state.

First show in eight years

Sunday was the first Gunfighter Skies Air Show to be held in eight years. The last edition of the event, in 2018, ended in tragedy when a hang glider pilot was killed in a crash.

Geo International reported that the Mountain Home Fire Department, Mountain Home Police Department and the Elmore County emergency management coordinator did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

No further details about the condition of the crew members or the extent of damage to the aircraft were provided in the statement cited in the report. The US Navy said more information would be released as it became available as the investigation proceeds.

The collision took place during a public aerial demonstration involving military aircraft, drawing immediate attention because it occurred near the air base hosting the event. Officials have not yet publicly released findings on what caused the two jets to collide.