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2 US Growlers jets collide mid-air, crash at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho | Video

Officials said emergency crews responded to the incident, adding that the Mountain Home air force base was locked down after the incident.

Updated on: May 18, 2026 7:55 AM IST
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Two EA-18G Growlers jets collided mid-air and crashed at Gunfighter Skies air show two miles from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho in the United States.

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Officials said emergency crews responded to the incident, and the air force base was locked down after the incident.

Several videos of the plane crash surfaced online, showing the jets colliding mid-air, following which four parachutes opened up in the air as the aircraft plummeted to the ground. Soon after, plumes of smoke were seen rising from the spot of the crash.

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A Mountain Home Air Force Base spokesperson told Reuters that the base was investigating the aircraft collision that occurred just outside its premises earlier on Sunday.

"Emergency responders are on the scene and investigation is underway and more details will be released as they become available," the spokesperson said.

As emergency crews had to clear the area to respond to the crews and control the fire sparked by the crash, attendees were reportedly instructed not to leave the air base.

ALSO READ | Mountain Home midair crash: What happened at Gunfighter Skies today? Scary video emerges

Pilots ‘found safe’

All four US Navy pilots, who were aboard the crashed jets, were "found safe", according to the Idaho Statesman.

An air show announcer reportedly told the crowd that the jets had "four good parachutes," adding that the crew were able to eject and were located one mile south of the crash spot.

The Gunfighter Skies air show reportedly includes flying demonstrations and parachute jumps, celebrating aviation history and showcasing modern military capabilities.

This was reportedly the first Gunfighter Skies show held in eight years. During the 2018 event, a hang glider pilot died in an accident, the Idaho Statesman's report said.

The air base is home to the US Air Force's 366th Fighter Wing, nicknamed 'Gunfighters'. The Mountain Home AFB includes three fighter squadrons -- the 389th Fighter Squadron Thunderbolts or T-Bolts, the 391st Fighter Squadron Tigers, and the Republic of Singapore 428th Fighter Squadron Buccaneers.

  • Asmita Ravi Shankar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Asmita Ravi Shankar

    Asmita Ravi Shankar is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. She covers breaking news and focuses on crime, geopolitics, and the domestic political landscape. She has an eye for the intricacies in criminal investigations and a keen interest in how diplomacy and complexities affect politics, within India and globally. She has written extensively about Operation Sindoor, the Iran-US conflict, elections in India, Trump tariffs and diplomacy. Asmita also engages in multimedia storytelling, using interactive elements to enhance readers' news experience and build a high-traffic news ecosystem. With nearly three years of experience in the journalism industry, Asmita has been with HT for a little over a year. She has previously worked with online news teams at Outlook India and Network18, covering a wide range of beats and building her specialisation. In HT, she has been recognised for her comprehensive reportage and her contribution to coverage of the Bihar assembly election results, having single-handedly driven over 2 million users on that day. Asmita earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, the University of Delhi. She went on to earn a postgraduate diploma in integrated journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, sharpening her skills in multimedia storytelling, editing and sourcing to enrich her reportage. Additionally, Asmita holds a degree in Bharatanatyam from the Pracheen Kala Kendra. She is also a teacher of the Indian classical dance form. When not working on news, Asmita can be found dancing, binge-watching true crime docu-series, cooking and exploring various genres of music.Read More

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