Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers Collide During Airshow At Mountain Home AFB, Crews Eject Safely
Two EA-18G Growlers from the Growler Demo Team collided mid-air during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. All four crew members ejected.
Two EA-18G Growlers of the Growler Demonstration Team of the VAQ-129 “Vikings” crashed after being involved in a mid-air collision during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. A video apparently showing the incident shows the four crew members of the two aircraft ejecting.
Photographer Shane Odgen managed to film the entire sequence of the collision and subsequent ejections. He posted the video on Facebook here, the clip was later widely circulated online.
Footage of the mid air collision between a pair of Navy Super Hornets/Growlers during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show at Mountain Home Air Force Base moments ago. pic.twitter.com/yQqPavmSWk
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 17, 2026
2 E/A-18G Growlers from the VAQ-129 Growler Demo Team are reported to have collided during the Gunfighter Skies Airshow at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho today. Both crews are reported to have ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/k5SWJ9mz1u
— Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) May 17, 2026
A sequence of photographs show the two Growlers and the crew members right after the ejection.
Photo sequence right after the ejection. Our good friend Henk Zuurbier was at the show today at Mountain Home AFB, ID. Wow! pic.twitter.com/7I9LaoxyLr
— RampCheck Aviation (@rampcheckglobal) May 17, 2026
We took screenshots of the ejection sequence from video captured by Shane Ogden. The jets remained entangled all the way to the ground. The crew in the lower jet appears incredibly fortunate, as the upper jet was not directly over their canopy. This could have ended much worse.… pic.twitter.com/D924hbrqpG
— RampCheck Aviation (@rampcheckglobal) May 17, 2026
The two aircraft were identified as being EA-18G 168895 “NJ-502” and EA-18G 168252 “NJ-540”.
The collision looks to have been involving EA-18G 168895 “NJ-502” and EA-18G 168252 “NJ-540”.#AE53C5 / #AE2F0D https://t.co/JYtk4cnIaC
— Nick ︎ (@N214WN) May 17, 2026
The airshow was halted and the remainder of it cancelled after the incident, which occurred 2 miles to the northwest of the base.
This is a developing story we will update it as more details emerge.