“On May 17, 2026, two U.S. Navy EA18-G assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129 from Whidbey Island, Washington collided in mid-air while performing an aerial demonstration involving four air crew for the Mountain Home Air Force Base Gunfighter Skies Air Show, near Mountain Home Air Force Base at about 12:10 p.m. MDT. All four of the air crew successfully ejected and they are being evaluated by medical personnel. First responders are on the scene. The incident is under investigation. More information will be released as it becomes available.” — Navy CDR Amelia Umayam
What happened over Mountain Home Air Force Base
Two E/A-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129’s NAS Whidbey Island–based Growler Airshow Team collided during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show in Mountain Home, Idaho. The mid-air mishap occurred at about 12:10 p.m. MDT on May 17, 2026, approximately two miles northwest of the base, the 366th Fighter Wing noted on its Facebook page. All four crew members ejected from the aircraft and were being evaluated by medical personnel, and first responders were on the scene.
Visual record: videos, stills, and the sequence of events
Multiple dramatic videos and still images of the collision circulated online. One widely shared clip shows a trailing Growler closing in on the lead aircraft from behind, striking the lead’s rear with its nose from above. The two jets became entangled nose-up, then tumbled nose-down before separating from one another. Observers counted four small explosions — consistent with ejection-seat firings — and the parachutes of the four crew members opened. The aircraft impacted the ground and erupted into flames; the subsequent fire was contained, according to the base.
Social-media posts captured the incident in real time. An OSINTtechnical post shared video footage; Phil Landram posted still images taken by Henk Zuurbier; and other posts from @thenewarea51, @OpenNewNews and OC Scanner amplified the sequence and noted the base’s temporary lockdown. The available imagery anchored the public account of an aerial demonstration that quickly turned catastrophic in the air but resulted in crew ejection and apparent survival.
VAQ-129 Growler Airshow Team and the demonstration profile
The aircraft involved were part of the VAQ-129 Growler Demo Team, which the source reports performs two-jet displays. The squadron is NAS Whidbey Island–based, and four aircrew were aboard the two jets during the aerial demonstration. The collision occurred while the formation was performing a public demonstration at Mountain Home’s Gunfighter Skies Air Show.
Base response and safety actions
The 366th Fighter Wing’s Facebook page placed the location of the mishap at two miles northwest of the base, and the base initially implemented temporary lockdown procedures. First responders reported to the scene and the resulting fire from the crashed aircraft was contained by base personnel. Navy leadership stated the incident is under investigation and pledged to provide more information as it becomes available.
Technical observations and immediate lines of inquiry
Observers and analysts who reviewed the footage noted one specific risk that may have been relevant: the lead aircraft could have been in the trailing aircraft’s under-nose blind spot immediately before impact. The source explicitly raises that as a possible contributing factor, saying “the leading Growler may have been in the under-nose blind spot of the trailing one right before impact.” The same commentary notes that as the jets rolled vertical they appeared stacked on top of each other, a geometry that would have made ejection particularly dangerous — yet, remarkably, the ejection sequences cleared the crews of each other’s aircraft and all four parachutes were seen deploying.
How airshow teams, Mountain Home AFB, and investigators are likely to respond
- Airshow teams: The Growler Demo Team and other two-jet display units will be watching the ongoing investigation closely for any operational or display-profile cautions drawn from this collision — especially around formation geometry and under-nose blind-spot risk cited in immediate commentary.
- Mountain Home Air Force Base: Base emergency and security protocols were executed — including temporary lockdown and first-responder action — and those procedures, plus fire-containment steps, will be reviewed as part of the response and investigation.
- Investigators and Navy leadership: The Navy has opened an investigation and has publicly committed to releasing more information; determining precise sequencing, flight geometry, and whether display procedures or situational factors contributed will be central to their work.
The visible record of this incident is stark: two demonstration Growlers became entangled and crashed, four aircrew ejected and survived the descent, and local responders contained the resulting fire. With an official investigation underway and the Navy promising further updates, the facts captured on video will be tested against cockpit and telemetry data to explain how a public demonstration led to a mid-air collision two miles from Mountain Home Air Force Base.
