Four US Navy pilots escaped a highly unusual mid-air accident after two fighter jets collided during an air show in Idaho, with eyewitness footage showing the crews ejecting seconds before both aircraft burst into flames on impact.
The incident occurred on Sunday at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show held at Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho.
Videos recorded by spectators captured the moment the two EA-18G Growler jets flew in close formation before apparently touching mid-air and spiralling downwards while still entangled.
The aircraft were assigned to the US Navy’s Electronic Attack Squadron 129, based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. According to Cmdr.
Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet, the jets were conducting a scheduled aerial display when the collision happened. Authorities have not yet determined the cause, and investigations are ongoing.
Aviation analysts have described the accident as unusually fortunate in terms of survivability, suggesting the nature of the impact may have briefly kept both jets stable enough for the pilots to eject.
Former aviation safety investigator Jeff Guzzetti noted that mid-air collisions typically leave almost no margin for escape.
“It’s really striking to see,” Guzzetti told news agency AP. “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.”
Footage circulating on social media appeared to show the aircraft descending together for a short period before the crews successfully ejected.
Guzzetti added that the way the jets remained partially controllable may have given the pilots critical extra seconds to react.
Another aviation expert, John Cox, emphasised the precision required in air show performances. “Air show flying is demanding. It has very little tolerance,” he said. “The people who do it are very good and it’s a small margin for error. I’m glad everybody was able to get out.”
Following the crash, the base was placed under immediate lockdown and the remainder of the two-day air show was cancelled. Emergency teams responded swiftly as spectators were evacuated from the area.
