Four crew members stable after two US Navy fighter jets collide mid-air
Quick Look
- Two US Navy EA-18G fighter jets collided mid-air during the Gunfighter Skies air show near Idaho's Mountain Home Air Force Base.
- Four crew members ejected safely and are in stable condition.
- The incident led to the cancellation of the air show and an investigation is underway.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Two US Navy EA18-G fighter jets collided mid-air during the Gunfighter Skies air show near Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. The jets were performing an aerial demonstration when the crash occurred. The incident led to the cancellation of the rest of the air show and a fire erupted at the base.
Four crew members are in stable condition after two fighter jets collided mid-air during a US air show, officials say.
All the aircrew safely ejected from US Navy EA18-G jets that were performing an aerial demonstration when they crashed, a US Navy spokesperson told the BBC's US partner CBS News. It is unclear if they were injured.
The dramatic incident happened on Sunday, during the second and final day of the Gunfighter Skies air show, 2 miles (3.2km) northwest of Idaho's Mountain Home Air Force Base.
A fire erupted and the base was briefly locked down as the rest of the air show was cancelled. An investigation is underway.
"The aircrew involved in the incident are in stable condition," Mountain Air Force Base Gunfighters said in statement posted on social media on Sunday.
"Thank you to all our guests for your patience and compassion, which has allowed us to quickly and safely respond to the incident," the statement said.
Umayam said the EA18G Growlers were assigned to an electronic attack squadron from Washington state. The US Navy says each of those jets cost about $67m (£50.3m).
Kim Sykes of Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped organise the air show, told a local CBS affiliate that no-one at the military base was hurt.
Open Questions
- What caused the collision?
- Were the aircrew injured, despite being in stable condition?
- What is the extent of the damage to the jets?
- What are the findings of the investigation?
