Four U.S. Navy aviators escaped serious injury Sunday after their two EA-18G Growlers collided in mid-air during a performance at the Gunfighter Skies air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The incident, which occurred during an event marking the nation's 250th birthday, prompted an immediate cancellation of the remainder of the show.
Both aircraft belonged to Electronic Attack Squadron 129, based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state. A spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed to the Associated Press that the four crew members deployed their parachutes and landed safely on the ground before being evaluated by medical personnel.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, who reviewed footage of the crash, described the collision as unusual. "It looks like they struck each other in a very unique fashion to cause them to remain intact and kind of stick to each other, and that very well could have saved them," Guzzetti told the AP. He added that the incident appeared to stem from pilot error rather than a mechanical malfunction. "Rendezvousing with another airplane in formation flight is challenging, and it has to be done just right to prevent exactly this kind of thing," he said.
The Gunfighter Skies air show had not been held since 2018, when a hang glider pilot died in an accident, according to the Idaho Statesman. Sunday's mid-air collision underscores persistent risks associated with high-performance military flight demonstrations.
This incident follows a series of aviation mishaps involving military aircraft in recent months. In a separate tragedy, four people died in a medical plane crash near Capitan Mountain, New Mexico, highlighting the broader dangers of flight operations. Meanwhile, political debates over defense spending and military readiness continue on Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers pointing to such accidents as evidence of strain on the armed forces.
The Navy has launched an investigation into the collision, standard procedure for any major aviation incident. The Growler, a variant of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, is a specialized electronic warfare aircraft used to jam enemy radar and communications. The loss of two of these multimillion-dollar jets represents a significant operational and financial setback for the Navy's electronic attack capabilities.
As the investigation unfolds, questions about training, formation flying procedures, and air show safety protocols are likely to dominate discussions within the Pentagon and among defense oversight committees in Congress. The incident also reignites scrutiny of military air shows, which are designed to showcase skill but carry inherent risks.
For now, the focus remains on the survival of the four aviators, who are expected to recover fully. Their safe ejection provides a rare positive outcome in a field where such accidents often prove fatal.
