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Four Navy Pilots Eject After Idaho Growler Collision

5/18/2026

48 4 Full Breakdown

Center

Navy Pilots Eject Safely

Spectators filmed the sight of Navy pilots safely parachuting after their EA-18G Growlers collided mid-air at an Idaho air show.
Two Navy EA-18G Growlers collided at Home Base, Idaho, during a show, resulting in four crew ejecting and remaining stable.
Mountain Home Base locked down, deployed emergency responders and canceled remainder of the air show.
Cmdr. Amelia Umayam said jets were from Squadron 129 and an investigation is under way.

Right

Navy Jets Collide

Witness David Katz, attending with his two sons, said he saw the jets collide and the parachutes deploy.
Two Navy EA-18G jets collided at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show, Mountain Home, with crew ejecting and no base personnel injured.
Emergency responders secured the crash site while the base entered a lockdown.
Base officials announced an investigation is underway and will release details as they become available.

Blindspot

Blindspot

Center coverage identified Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Amelia Umayam and noted the jets were from Electronic Attack Squadron 129, details that Right coverage did not include.
Center coverage also reported that the base cancelled the remainder of the air show, an outcome not mentioned in the Right summary.

History

Historical Context

In early 1996, three separate F-14 Tomcat crashes—including a 2 February loss in the Persian Gulf that forced a three-day fleet stand-down, a 29 January crash in Nashville, and a 1995 carrier crash that killed Lt. Kara Hultgreen—prompted the Navy to tighten operational safety. Those reforms now guide investigations of the recent Mountain Home air-show collision of two Navy jets.

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Navy Pilots Eject Safely

Spectators filmed the sight of Navy pilots safely parachuting after their EA-18G Growlers collided mid-air at an Idaho air show.
Two Navy EA-18G Growlers collided at Home Base, Idaho, during a show, resulting in four crew ejecting and remaining stable.
Mountain Home Base locked down, deployed emergency responders and canceled remainder of the air show.
Cmdr. Amelia Umayam said jets were from Squadron 129 and an investigation is under way.

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