MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho — Two military jets collided during an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base on Sunday, prompting a base-wide lockdown and a response from emergency crews, according to the base and video posted on social media.
Video recorded by spectators and shared on Facebook showed the two aircraft making contact mid-air, rotating out of control, and crashing to the ground, where they erupted in a plume of dirt and fire. Four parachutes later appeared above the crash site.
The Idaho Statesman reported that an announcer at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show told attendees the four Navy pilots involved were “found safe.” The base later said the aircrew were in stable condition.
Mountain Home Air Force Base, located about an hour southeast of Boise, confirmed the incident and said it canceled the remainder of the two-day air show. Officials also said an investigation is underway.
Local authorities urged the public to avoid the base as emergency operations continued. The Mountain Home Police Department said spectators should not attempt to access the installation while responders secured the area.
The base is home to the Air Force’s 366th Fighter Wing, known as the “Gunfighters,” and regularly hosts demonstrations featuring military aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters, and vintage warplanes.
Organizers had promoted the air show as a public demonstration of military aviation capabilities and personnel.
The last air show held at the base in 2018 resulted in a fatal crash involving a hang glider pilot. In a separate 2003 incident during a previous air show, an Air Force pilot ejected safely before an F-16 crashed.