Spectators at an air show in Boise, Idaho, were left in shock on Sunday when two U.S. Navy jets collided midair during their performance.
The incident occurred at Mountain Home Air Force Base during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show when two Navy EA-18 Growler jets collided midair, totaling both aircraft before the pilots safely ejected. Footage was later shared on social media.
A Navy spokesperson said that all four pilots and crew safely ejected and were in stable condition after medical examinations.
“All four of the air crew successfully ejected,” Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for the Naval Air Force U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a statement.
According to ABC News, the two jets were “assigned to the Electronic Attack Squadron at Whidbey Island, Washington, Umayam said, adding that the cause of the crash is under investigation.”
“The air show was cancelled immediately after the crash, according to a post from the Mountain Home Police Department, which further advised spectators not to travel to the Air Force base,” added the outlet.
David Katz, who attended the air show with his family, told Fox News they witnessed the aircraft burn while in midair.
“We saw the smoke and fireball,” Katz said. “Apparently, they collided there. One of the planes was impacted and started burning in the air.”
Former Navy commander Phil Ehr called the safe ejection of two entangled vehicles a “miracle.”
“Four good parachutes popping out of those entangled aircraft is a miracle. That they all survived is another. Aviation combat training is inherently dangerous. Investigations will get to the bottom of this particular ‘Class A mishap,’ so other pilots learn and get stronger. In due course, ‘Approach,’ the Navy’s aviation safety magazine (available online), will cover the entire incident,” he posted on X.
“Crashes like this affects families, squadrons, bases and whole communities. These aviators are assigned to a Navy electronic attack squadron based at NAS Whidbey Island, a community that knows all too well tragedies of death and near death events,” he added.
