Rescue crews responded to a crash during the Gunfighter Skies air show at Idaho's Mountain Home Air Force Base on Sunday. All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed, officials said.
Collision Details
The collision involved two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when the crash happened. Umayam stated that the four crew members from both jets safely ejected and were being evaluated by medical personnel. The crash is under investigation.
No one at the military base was hurt, said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show. "Everyone is safe and I think that's the most important thing," Sykes said.
Witness Accounts
Videos posted online by spectators showed four parachutes opening in the sky as the aircraft plummeted to the ground near the base, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boise. Shane Ogden, who was filming the two jets as they came close together, captured a video showing the two aircraft appear to make contact and then spin in tandem as the crew members ejected. The planes then fell together, exploding into a fireball upon impact. Ogden said he left soon after the crash to avoid interfering with emergency responders.
Safety Context
Organizers noted that the popular air show celebrates aviation history and modern military capabilities. 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 (47 kph) around the time of the crash.
This year's Gunfighter Skies event was the first at the base since 2018, when a hang glider died in a crash during an air show performance. In 2003, a Thunderbirds aircraft crashed while attempting a maneuver; the pilot was unhurt and ejected less than a second before impact.
The air show industry has been working to improve safety for years. The last fatal crash at an air show came in 2022 when two vintage military planes collided in Dallas, killing six. John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, said that while there used to be an average of about two deaths a year at U.S. air shows, the average over the past decade has been closer to one death per year. There were no air show deaths in 2025 or 2024, and a spectator has not been killed since 1952. "Safety wise we've enjoyed really an unprecedented term of few accidents," Cudahy said.
