Two Navy EA-18G Growlers from VAQ-129 collided during the Gunfighter Skies airshow at Mountain Home AFB; all four crew ejected safely.
Key Takeaways
Both aircraft were EA-18G Growlers, specialized electronic warfare jets assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 at Whidbey Island, Washington.
All four crew members ejected and were evaluated by medical personnel; no spectators or base personnel were injured.
Spectator video shows the jets making contact, spinning together, then falling as a fireball while four parachutes opened above.
SH-167 near Mountain Home AFB was closed for a multi-day investigation following the crash.
Air show safety has improved significantly: no spectator deaths since 1952, no fatalities in 2024 or 2025, and average annual deaths down to roughly one per year over the past decade.
Hacker News Comment Review
Strong consensus that deploying EA-18G Growlers, rare and expensive electronic warfare platforms, for a public airshow was a poor resource decision when visually identical standard F/A-18s exist.
Commenters noted the collision likely resulted from pilots losing situational awareness during repositioning, not a failed aerobatic maneuver, undercutting initial speculation about vectored thrust tricks.
Discussion on ejection timing flagged that all four seats fired nearly simultaneously, raising speculation about automated ejection sequencing for incapacitated-pilot scenarios.
Notable Comments
@somenameforme: Notes simultaneous ejection timing across both jets and speculates on automated ejection systems handling unconscious-pilot edge cases.
@rogerrogerr: Clarifies jets were repositioning away from crowd, not attempting a maneuver; “they lost track of each other.”
