Four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets crash during air show in Idaho

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By REBECCA BOONE and MATTHEW BROWN
Updated 4:52 PM CDT, May 17, 2026
Leer en español

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — All four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed on Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho, officials said.

The collision involved two U.S. Navy EA18-G Growlers from the Electronic Attack Squadron 129 in Whidbey Island, Washington, said Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The aircraft were performing an aerial demonstration when the crash happened, Umayam said in a statement. The four crew members from both jets safely ejected and the crash was under investigation, she said.

The crew members were in stable condition, base officials said.


This still image taken from video shows a plume of smoke rises above the plain near Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, where two Navy jets collided at an air show on Sunday. (Lisa Van Horne via AP)

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/air-show-idaho-incident-lockdown-cf2c98134c068cfcb8987e68a3177c62

[Mysterian]

1. More military incompetence thanks to idiot republicans

Republicans weaken our national security with their utter incompetence and corruption.

[PCB66]

17. Crashes at air shows

have been going on ever since there have been air shows. For instance, an average of 3.8 deaths a year occurred at U.S. air shows from 1991 to 2006. From 2007 until the present it has been 1.9. Those four crew members in the EA-18s were very lucky to survive.

To blame this crash it the current military leadership is as silly as the MAGAs blaming the crash on the fact that the pilot that caused the crash was a female.

Air show acrobatics are by their nature risky. The military uses them for recruitment purposes. Civilians use them to make money.

There are many things this administration has to answer for. That crash isn't one of them.

Lets keep it real.

[Deuxcents]

2. Airlines are canceling flight plans and one has gone under because of fuel shortages. We got enough for air shows?

[mitch96]

3. I'm glad they are ok

....Each jet was worth 67 million bucks...That's gonna hurt..
m

[Deminpenn]

4. There's not a huge fleet of electronic warfare

aircraft. Kind of surprised they'd be part of an airshow.

[Leghorn21]

5. OMG

?si=SoArdFvQWTxyHuul

Glad for smooth escapes, omg

[pfitz59]

10. The top plane is at fault

Lost sight of the other craft.

[NoRethugFriends]

6. Air shows air just stupid

[not fooled]

7. "Tax dollar bonfires"

is what I call them. Literally, in this case.

Best wishes for the crew members.

[paleotn]

9. Agreed. The Navy considers them a recruiting tool

But at what cost? And what aviators do includes a not so insignificant amount of inherent risk. Crashing, which unfortunately does happen, kind of negates the recruiting bit. It's just not a good idea all around.

[Deminpenn]

14. The Blue Angels are the Navy Aviation's primary recruiting tool

The Blue Angels pilots are highly skilled and the aircraft have some unique hardware adaptations that allow the planes to be flown upside down among other things. They are absolutely awesome to watch in person.

Outside of the demonstration show teams like the Blues, Thunderbirds, Canadian Snowbirds, most of the planes are solo acts.

The planes that crashed were standard F18Gs from VAQ-129 out of Whidbey Island. Electronic warfare aircraft are around to jam enemy communications. I doubt their pilots do the kind of high risk manuevering that was part of their airshow routine very often.

As for the airshows, it's very cool just to see the planes and choppers up close. If you're worried about taxdollars, a bigger source of waste is all the military tributes at sporting events including the flyovers. That's all at the behest of DoD and paid for by them, and there are alot more of those events than airshows.

[travelingthrulife]

16. Still a colossal waste of money.

[niyad]

8. One of the biggest wastes of fuel is coming up. .AFA graduation,

with the Thunderbird flyover.

[Coolgoober]

11. Between All The Military Aircraft Lost

In crashes, in the war and falling off a (peace time) aircraft carrier last year has got to have Hegseth going for most incompetent Secretary od Defense we've ever had. LOSER!

[oasis]

12. No fatalities good. Time to end wasteful air shows.

👎

[JustKay]

13. Airshows are so dangerous!

What if that plane had crash landed into the crowd or a residential neighborhood!

I live not far from an air base and I just hate it when they're doing air shows. This is why.

[Historic NY]

15. Why is the Navy allowing freelancing when they have a team of aerobatic flyers and planes

the "Blue angels"