Fighter jets crash in midair during air show at Idaho Air Force base, crew eject safely: “A lot of luck involved”
Two fighter jets collided in midair and crashed during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday. All four crew members ejected safely and are listed in stable condition, Navy Air Forces officials said,
“Everyone is safe and I think that’s the most important thing,” said Kim Sykes, marketing director with Silver Wings of Idaho, which helped to plan the air show, CBS affiliate KBOI reported.
The Mountain Home Air Force Base said in a social media post that it was locked down following the incident during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show, and the rest of the show was canceled. Responders were on the scene and an investigation was underway.
Videos posted online showed the two planes getting tangled together in midair before four parachutes opened in the sky as the planes plummeted to the ground, where they exploded into a fireball on impact.
Shane Odgen 
The EA-18G Growlers were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 from Whidbey Island, Washington, according to Umayam. Each unit costs approximately $67 million, according to the U.S. Navy.
The planes were flying at “very low altitude and also relatively slow speeds” when the collision happened, former pilot and Top Gun instructor Dave Berke told CBS News.
“The margin for error in this ejection was incredibly small,” Berke said. “I think when this investigation is over, those four air crew are going to tell you there was a lot of luck involved that they all got to walk away from this.”
The popular air show is a celebration of aviation history and a look at modern military capabilities and includes flying demonstrations and parachute jumps, according to the event’s organizers. The Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force’s flight demonstration squadron, were scheduled to headline the show both days.
