BOISE, Idaho (AP) — All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.
The two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, were performing an aerial demonstration when they collided, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The crash was under investigation, Umayam said. Base officials said the crew members were in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.
“Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped plan the air show.
Planes fell to the ground together
The base announced it was locked down immediately following the crash. The remainder of the air show was canceled.
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.
The EA-18G Growler is a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet with sophisticated electronic warfare systems.
Shane Ogden said he was filming the two jets as they came close together. The video shows the two aircraft appear to make contact and then spin in tandem as the crew members eject and their parachutes open. The planes then fall together, exploding into a fireball upon impact as the crew members drift to the ground nearby.
“I was just filming thinking they were going to split apart and that happened and I filmed the rest,” Ogden said in a text message. He said he left soon after the crash because he did not want to get in the way of emergency responders.
Source: WPLG
