Two Navy EA-18G Growlers Collide At Idaho Air Show; One Crew Member Injured
Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers from Electronic Attack Squadron 129 collided midair during a military air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday, May 17, 2026; one crew member was injured and all four ejected safely.[1]
The base was locked down and the remainder of the air show was canceled after the collision.[2] Spectator video shows the two jets making contact, becoming "sandwiched" together, twisting nose-up, four parachutes deploying, and both planes falling and exploding on impact.[2] The National Weather Service reported good visibility with winds gusting up to 29 mph around the time of the crash.[2]
Both aircraft were EA-18G Growlers assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington.[2] Growler air-show crews are instructor pilots and electronic warfare officers whose regular duties include training Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force personnel.[1]
Early reports said all four crew members ejected and were in stable condition.[3] On Monday, Cmdr. Amelia Umayam of Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said only one crew member was injured and the injury is not life-threatening.[1]
The Navy said it recovered wreckage and that a formal investigation is underway.[1] Aviation safety experts said the way the jets remained stuck together likely allowed time for all crew to eject.[2] A former demonstration pilot said video suggested the crews were attempting a close wingtip-to-wingtip rejoin and described the incident as "clearly a pilot error." PBS News
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers from Electronic Attack Squadron 129 based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island collided midair during a military air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
- All four crew members safely ejected and were reported in stable condition, and Cmdr. Amelia Umayam said on Monday, May 18, 2026 that only one crew member sustained a non-life-threatening injury.
- Mountain Home Air Force Base was immediately locked down after the crash and the remainder of the air show was canceled, according to local officials and base reports from the event day.
- Multiple spectator videos show the two jets making contact, becoming "sandwiched" together and twisting nose-up briefly, with four parachutes deploying and both planes falling and exploding in a fireball on impact; the National Weather Service reported good visibility with winds gusting up to 29 mph around the time of the crash.
- Jeff Guzzetti and John Cox, aviation safety experts, said the fact the planes remained stuck together likely allowed time for all crew to eject and noted formation air-show flying leaves very little margin for pilot error.
- Former test pilot and demonstration expert Billie Flynn said video evidence suggests crews were attempting a close wingtip-to-wingtip rejoin and described the incident as "clearly a pilot error," while the Navy confirmed recovery of the wreckage and that a formal investigation is underway.
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Cmdr. Amelia Umayam of Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said on Monday, May 18, 2026, that only one of the four crew members was injured and that the injury is not life-threatening.
- The article describes spectator video indicating one jet was slightly behind the other before impact, with the two EA-18G Growlers becoming "sandwiched" together, twisting nose-up briefly, then falling and exploding in a fireball.
- Aviation expert Billie Flynn, a former F-35 senior test pilot and demonstration expert, said video evidence suggests the crews were attempting a close wingtip-to-wingtip rejoin and called the incident "clearly a pilot error," while formal investigations are still pending.
- The Navy confirmed both aircraft were EA-18G Growlers assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, and that recovery of the wreckage and a formal investigation are underway.
- The article provides background that Growler air-show display crews are instructor pilots and electronic warfare officers from Whidbey Island whose regular duties include training Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force personnel.
- NBC/AP report confirms both aircraft were U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers from Electronic Attack Squadron 129 based at Whidbey Island, Washington.
- Officials state the four crew members safely ejected and were in stable condition on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
- Mountain Home Air Force Base was immediately locked down after the crash and the remainder of the air show was canceled.
- Spectator videos show the two jets making contact, then spinning together while four parachutes deploy and the planes fall and explode in a fireball on impact.
- National Weather Service reported good visibility with winds gusting up to 29 mph around the time of the crash.
- Aviation safety experts Jeff Guzzetti and John Cox said the way the planes remained stuck together likely allowed time for all crew to eject and that formation air-show flying leaves very little margin for pilot error.
- CBS now identifies both aircraft as U.S. Navy jets that collided in midair during a military air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
- The report states all four crew members from the two Navy jets are in stable condition following the collision.