Shocking Mid-Air Collision: Two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growlers Crash at Airshow – What Went Wrong?
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Two fighter jets collided midair and crashed during an air show in the United States.
On the 17th (local time), the AP reported that two EA-18G Growler aircraft from U.S. Navy Electronic Attack Squadron 129 collided while performing aerobatic maneuvers at the Gunfighter Skies air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in western Idaho.
The crash unfolded in seconds. Video released after the incident shows the two jets flying in very close formation, striking one another, briefly becoming entangled in midair, and then plunging to the ground in flames. The footage also captures pilots ejecting and deploying parachutes rapidly to escape the wreckage.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzetti said the jets appear to have collided in an unusual way that left them stuck together, a circumstance that likely helped the aircrews survive. He added that pilot error or other human factors are more likely causes than mechanical failure.
The U.S. Pacific Fleet Naval Air Forces said the pilots ejected safely and that investigators are working to determine the exact cause.
Mountain Home Air Force Base was closed immediately after the accident, and the rest of the event schedule was canceled. Officials have not yet identified a definitive cause, but because the aircrews survived, the inquiry is expected to proceed relatively quickly.
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