Apparent Mid-Air collision at Mountain Home AFB airshow moments ago.
Posted by FxckFxntxnyl@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 186 comments
Posted on Airforce amn/nco/an o FB page.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18uRuHoESL/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This is the wildest collision footage I have ever seen. They are so lucky to all get out.
JKKIDD231@reddit
Glad the 4 pilots are safe but holy shit that done hell of a mid air collision
PeckerNash@reddit
Aviators. Navy don’t call ‘em pilots.
Roadgoddess@reddit
Yeah, that footage is absolutely crazy! You can see it looks like they’re trying to disengage from each other and then realize it’s not happening
Emperor-Commodus@reddit
I've never seen that many ejected pilots falling that close to each other. What a cartoonish image. On the way down they're yelling at each other like "What the fuck, Jeff, I thought you were turning right!" "Turning right!? We were pulling up!"
Quirky_Judge_6932@reddit
Attack the D point!
Fitch9392@reddit
I get this!!
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
“Goddammit Steve we talked about this for hours!”
stevecostello@reddit
I’m sorry! I was hungry!!!
ManifestDestinysChld@reddit
It looks uncannily like young siblings slap-fighting each other. Calling it now, the Cockpit Voice Recorder dialog will be something like:
"Aaaaahhhhhh Get off me! Get off me!"
"Oh my god you're such a jerk!"
"Shut up! I'm telling mom!"
Alternative-Yak-925@reddit
They got up and started fighting about universal healthcare like in The Simpsons.
Kardinal@reddit
What the hell maneuver put them anywhere close to that position at the start of that video???
ElFarts@reddit
Source: I flew these. But also, who knows.
Looks like they did some maneuver and then they had to join up. Dash 2 lost sight and was basically joining from above in a turn. That’s a no no from form 101 (or whatever the F4101 or whatever it’s called in the syllabus) in primary. Bad communication from the lead and bad joining from dash 2.
Kardinal@reddit
Yeah I tried to make it clear I am purely speculating. And I was trying real hard not to point any fingers.
Thanks for chiming in.
DiotCoke@reddit
They were attempting to mate
Tacomaguy24@reddit
I'd say they were successful
LemmyKilmisterRogers@reddit
You know, keeping up domestic relations
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Chaff and Flares flying everywhere
dedgecko@reddit
Holy shiiiiiet.
That is wild.
The contact, the aerodynamic forces keeping the structures locked together.
The ejection sequence into a debris field containing most of the aircraft still intact.
The fear the chutes may drift into the fire below.
G’damn.
Boojum2k@reddit
Fire in one direction, power lines in the other!
AmityMayorVaughn@reddit
Stuck in the middle with you
WestRevolutionary360@reddit
Well, I dont know why I came here tonight I got a feeling that something ain't right Got so scared I flew out my chair And I'm wondering how I'll make it down thee
Got Fire to the Left of me, Power Lines to the Right Here I am, stuck in the middle with you
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
“Good damn”? That’s a new one for me.
currentlyhigh@reddit
That's so fucking weird looking!! I thought it was playing in slow motion until they ejected. I can't wait to see some more angles of what happened in the few seconds before that video starts.
Glad that all 4 crew were able to get out, they sure didn't have much time at that altitude.
Sad_Zone_153@reddit
i sincerely hope all 4 of them are okay, it looked like four made it out.
Kardinal@reddit
They are confirmed ok. Walking even.
Sad_Zone_153@reddit
what a relief. guardians angels working overtime there. incredible.
Putrid-Object-806@reddit
Presumably a little sore, glad they’re all ok
soosbear@reddit
That has to be one of the most unique mid-air collisions in history
RoutinePast7696@reddit
If Ai made that I would have said it’s not accurate
Banned4UsingSlurs3@reddit
Are these playnes having a drone?
Notonfoodstamps@reddit
You couldn't even make that video up with AI.
How the hell everyone survived this is beyond me.
slashfivetoaster@reddit
WTF was that? Growler mating season?
Alternative-Yak-925@reddit
It did look like a couple dragonflies.
Sivalon@reddit
It went badly.
fonik@reddit
This must be the “merge” that fighter pilots are always talking about.
NoZoupForYou@reddit
I thought it was AI at just. That’s how crazy it was. For good chutes is there important thing.
PilotGuy701@reddit
Got a link that doesn’t profit Zuck?
currentlyhigh@reddit
Idaho News on Demand channel on youtube just posted it a few mins ago
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
It’s posted on this sub separately now.
l1v3l0v3l4ugh@reddit
That's absolutely insane. Such a weird thing to see happening in the sky. I've never seen a vid quite like it.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18uRuHoESL/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This is the wildest collision footage I have ever seen. They are so lucky to all get out. Either aircraft had been in just a little bit of a different position and the crew of the bottom Growler wouldn’t have gotten out likely…
Pretty wild to see 4 seats sequenced like that.
Filmcaptain@reddit
Gosh, wild indeed. Hope they were recovered safely.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Seen it reported by a couple aviation pages on X that all crew were walking around and on way to hospital for checks.
DoesntMatterEh@reddit
Holy fuck, the planes just... Melded together. That's some terrifying shit. Good job by the crew to wait to eject until they were properly aligned to not shoot straight at the ground underneath the falling aircraft.
NaabeGetOnSkype@reddit
Jfc that is an absolutely insane bit of footage. Makes the 4 good chutes even more lucky
latedescent@reddit
Holy shit. That doesn't even look real. I have never seen anything like that.
oogaboogaman_3@reddit
That is truly nuts, incredible they all made it out okay
_MoneyHustard_@reddit
That’s fuckin nuts. Looked like at least one was still throttling while attached to the other.
I_GottaPoop@reddit
Video of the collision and ejection
https://x.com/i/status/2056086529404260666
CollegeStation17155@reddit
Sidebar... how much directional control do the pilots have on the chutes after they open... it would be a bitch to land in the flaming wreckage after punching out successfully.
dabarak@reddit
I don't know if things have changed with parachutes in the last 40 years, but I seem to recall two of the panels (sections of the parachute, I think) could be pulled loose to provide vents that would allow a bit of control because of the air escaping. There's a very, very good chance I'm wrong, so please understand that. I flew in S-3A Vikings as a sensor operator, and it was a long time ago, in a century far, far away.
ninjameams@reddit
Likely have LeMoinge slots, so some.
Low_Lavishness1524@reddit
On those (meaning non-steerable rounds), virtually none.
-_-dont-smile@reddit
Looks like a mating dance.
Bernies_left_mitten@reddit
(Attenborough voice) Here we have the rare privilege of witnessing the elusive mating ritual of the Growler, performed among their natural linens of stratocumulus clouds...
Looks like they mated and ejaculated the aircrew. Do naval aviators count as seamen?
vrdubin6@reddit
It's really windy here in Mountain Home today and I thought that might be the cause but that just looks like bad spacial awareness.
Pencil72Throwaway@reddit
Was at the show yesterday and was hella windy, so much so that both Thunderbird solos took off same direction (presumably so not to overspeed gear)
kingcakeaholic@reddit
Are they magnetic?🧲
Kaffe-Mumriken@reddit
holy fucking SHIT. those guys are so damn lucky to be alive
SaengerDruide@reddit
What kind of a battlefield crash is that?! Interlocking the aircraft mid air
Kardinal@reddit
I have never in my life seen two aircraft in contact with one another in the air for that long at all.
Much less all air crew surviving.
That's just bonkers.
Tomcat848484@reddit
It’s like they become totally interlocked and merged as one. Mesmerizing video (to me anyway)
JohnHazardWandering@reddit
Fun Fact: Bald eagles engage in a behavior called a death spiral in which they lock talons and tumble towards the ground during territorial disputes or mating.
https://www.tiktok.com/@naturalhabitok/video/7387823948760763690?lang=en
Party_Position_549@reddit
This!!! I said the exact same thing to my husband. Was wild.
Even more wild was the absolute silence when it happened.
JohnHazardWandering@reddit
Ha. Look at my down votes. Reddit basically gave me the same treatment.
I was really hoping they were F-15 Eagles. So many jokes...
Wise-Shallot8683@reddit
The second plane didn't explode.
My hypothesis is that it ran out of fuel.
NaabeGetOnSkype@reddit
Friend is there and caught it on video. 2 EA-18, 4 chutes. Screenshot here
irishspring4521@reddit
What’s that on the bottom right?
harlang76@reddit
Insane capture by your friend. Catching the exact moment with the chutes already deploying is wild. That had to be terrifying to watch live, but knowing all four crew members got out safely is a massive relief.
rhineauto@reddit
It’s a still from a video
ovenproofjet@reddit
2 EA-18s is a huge loss. Those things are worth their weight in gold
Another good day for Martin-Baker if all four chutes is confirmed
lujimerton@reddit
We got cash for fighters. Glad that grand finale of ejections worked.
Baja_Finder@reddit
They’re getting a necktie from Martin-Baker!
https://martin-baker.com/tie-club/
Racer_Space@reddit
Yeah, why the fuck are we doing needlessly risky stuff with assets we cannot replace.
AssBlasterExtreme@reddit
$2.2 billion versus $67 million. I get its a saying but cmon..
MassiveBoner911_3@reddit
So are growlers. Fuck.
PlantWide3166@reddit
https://martin-baker.com/tie-club/
TheYngChap@reddit
Wow never knew this was a thing as an outsider. Very cool!
holl0918@reddit
My CFI is a member
YABOI69420GANG@reddit
It's been a bad couple years for ea-18s. I think this makes 4 in less than two years? These two, the one on the carrier and the one training in the cascades.
emf686@reddit
Yea that makes 4. Oct '24 Cascades, Feb '25 in SD, and the two today.
YABOI69420GANG@reddit
Ah that's right it was two super hornets that were lost in carrier mishaps. The fourth E/A-18 I was thinking of was San diego. I just remembered it ending up in the water and misremembered it as being a carrier landing.
pursuer_of_simurg@reddit
Not a good time for expensive support aircraft lately.
JKKIDD231@reddit
Pilots are irreplaceable. Glad they are safe atleast
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Bout time to update their website. All those stories on there are awesome.
Longjumping_Rule_560@reddit
A display team with a synchronised ejection must surely be a first, right?
dman928@reddit
It looks like one of the planes was trying to assert dominance.
Familiar_Lettuce7049@reddit
reddit won’t allow me to upload a video but here’s a screenshot, from facebook comment, they appear fine
Geekenstein@reddit
So…uh…what are you guys doing later?
mines13@reddit
Martin Baker and Collins are so hot right now.
Cultural_Pudding5242@reddit
Growlers have zero business participating in airshows. There are dedicated units for this. Another $100+ mil written off on DUI Pete’s watch.
willyougiveittome@reddit
Two F-18, right?
emf686@reddit
EA-18Gs, electronic attack version. The Growler demo team was part of the airshwo.
diprivanity@reddit
The wrong demo team showed up
Jesus_le_Crisco@reddit
Instructions unclear, demolition team sent.
Soft_Estimate_7585@reddit
Double Cobra was impressive.
s4dhhc27@reddit
That onboard GoPro footage is going to be absolutely insane
eruditeimbecile@reddit
Unfortunately (or fortunately), Pail was not one of the pilots.
Smashman79@reddit
Saw this in person today. What an absolutely wild and shocking thing to see in person. I'm glad that the air crews weren't killed.
rubbercat@reddit
Glad everyone is okay. That's roughly $130 million taxpayer dollars up in smoke, if you were wondering.
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FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Two F-18’s collided, 4 good chutes.
paper-astronaut@reddit
layman here, pardon if this is a silly question - but does "four good chutes" mean all four pilots confirmed okay, or just that there were four successful ejections seen by onlookers?
(from other comments it looks like all the pilots seem to be OK in this case... just curious about the phrase)
Kardinal@reddit
Generally yes. "Four good chutes" means they ejected successfully and the chutes opened properly. Given that all modern ejection seats should keep the air crew safe even on the ground and not moving, this means a very high chance they are safe with minimal injuries.
combr@reddit
Colliding with things post ejection has killed many pilots, and chutes deploy whether the pilot hanging under it is alive or not. 2 canopies and 4 metal seats all flying in the vicinity of each other is not a safe ejection. That said it sounds like they got lucky!
hot-whisky@reddit
It means they got out of the plane. Ejections are still a very violent event and these pilots have a decent chance of getting injured just from that alone.
But 4 good chutes is a much better outcome than any of the other possibilities.
Additional_Grocery53@reddit
It means that the pilots evidently managed to eject and deploy their parachutes
Kardinal@reddit
That's damn expensive.
But much more important than the guys got our okay.
But not a lot of Growlers and they're not making more Rhino airframes.
Lilliekk1@reddit
You know what’s crazy, there’s been no show in Mountain home for five years because of a death that happened the last time. Also, they don’t practice for these shows anymore. Kinda crazy that they wouldn’t after the last one had a death.
Sad_Background_3001@reddit
Was there yesterday watching these, yikes. One of the planes was flown by an all female pilot/weapons officer which I thought was cool.
SummerInPhilly@reddit
I really hope that wasn’t this crew, considering how nasty the internet can get
Sad_Background_3001@reddit
For sure, unless they swapped them out, I think those two crews were the only ones there.
boogteam6@reddit
Was at that show yesterday and at one point my wife said she'd never attend another airshow if there was a collision. Glad we went yesterday!
Extremely happy to hear everyone got out ok.
LaddieNowAddie@reddit
Now don't show her the local news lol
nftog777@reddit
Training????
alicksB@reddit
It was part of the demo. The Growler dudes were showing Strike Eagle bros how to properly eject so that you don’t need to run multiple wild SAR missions. /s
wargamingonly@reddit
It's an incredibly windy day here. Would that have contributed to the problem?
account_depleted@reddit
Saw the video before reading the narrative. I immediately thought, "fucking AI again". 2 planes stuck together falling way too slow.
Really fortunate all 4 crew safely ejected from that.
KM4CK@reddit
How many Growlers does that make that have gone down the past 5 years?
fd6270@reddit
4 or 5
latedescent@reddit
a whole lot, thats for sure
Odd-Log2963@reddit
Somebody miscalculated bad on that one. Glad they are all down on the ground safe. They should be kissing the ground.
No-Cell-8208@reddit
Good chutes is no guarantee of the crew’s well being, particularly given the proximity of everything when they punched..
Kardinal@reddit
True.
But the photos of them walking around is a very very good indicator.
No-Cell-8208@reddit
Cool haven’t seen those.
jgmiller24094@reddit
Just watched the video that’s insane and amazing in the “lower” one had its canopy clear away enough from the “upper” to make the ejection clean.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
That’s what I was saying, super lucky the top aircraft was clear enough for them to sequence safely. Could have easily been a double Top Gun Goose moment.. or like that SU-34 crew in Russia who ejected in a covered bunker..
mamacoop817@reddit
It was so damn windy out there today that we left early. The opening ceremonies were amazing, but we left shortly before this happened. I’m just glad that they’re all okay
FixergirlAK@reddit
The wind out there is no joke. They need to be willing to cancel that airshow when it gets bad.
mamacoop817@reddit
I can appreciate that a lot of time and money goes into planning these events, but they need to be more concerned with safety. 20-30mph wind sustained, with gusts up to 50mph is not the weather to be doing this in
Severe_Space5830@reddit
Nothing like sport parachutes, but some. But to suddenly be forced to eject and the mind blowing mental confusion of the impact and unplanned ejection would not lend itself to a lot of situational awareness of how to react in the 30 seconds they were faced with.
Former Aircrew Life Support tech who worked and trained on the ACES II ejection system. Martin Baker gave us t-shirts that said Thrust You Can Trust.
R00k85@reddit
Mountain Home seems to be cursed with airshows
new_tanker@reddit
This is the third accident at an airshow at Mountain Home in the past 23 years:
2003: That famous Thunderbird ejection photo is from there
2018: Dan Buchanan and his hang glider
2026: This accident with the Growler Airshow Team
Fickle_Flower6199@reddit
Literally. This is insane
DTMark@reddit
Glad they were able to eject, losing a lot of jets this year eh?
Notonfoodstamps@reddit
All 4 pilots after ejecting.
Tnkr_Brwr_Sldr_Sly@reddit
Damnit, not right now, Navy
kennedyswise@reddit
Anybody got a video not from Facebook?
Notonfoodstamps@reddit
The video is one of the most surreal aviation accidents I've ever witnessed.
Ill-Hall-4629@reddit
Ill-Hall-4629@reddit
Ill-Hall-4629@reddit
LPNTed@reddit
let’s hope the report is accurate as translates to safe crew members.
mamacoop817@reddit
The base has confirmed they were all 4 safe and walked away.
LPNTed@reddit
I’ll take this at face value.. The term “walked away” is as heartening to read as it is slackjawing. Like I typed, I accept this as credible, but if they have that on a website, I’d love to read that as well.
-Racer-X@reddit
Glad everyone is safe
Are these treated as “no blame” situations? Or is someone never flying again
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Someone wasn’t where they were supposed to be, or it could be a situation like the Texas Raider where the air-boss could be at fault. Wayyy too early to tell.
VaunBob@reddit
I feel it’s worth noting that this is the Growler Demo team. They have a routine like all demo teams and I believe flew an acceptance show.
Sivalon@reddit
There’ll be a board of inquiry, at Navy level and airshow level. Someone’s at fault but it needs to be determined if it’s aircrew (and which one) or airshow boss.
Roger_Freedman_Phys@reddit
Delighted that the crews successfully ejected!
Alas, that’s more than 100 million dollars down the crapper.
Traquer@reddit
Those guys are going to have some interesting call signs after this, glad they survived! Hey humper get over here..
One hell of an embarrassing story though for sure, someone will be flying rubber dog shit out of hong kong after this
planes01@reddit
I don't think I've ever seen a fighter piggy back on another fighter before
Pheighthe@reddit
When two electronic warfare aircraft love each other very much
zipper86@reddit
Huge waste of money and resources. Unjustifiable.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Yeah, how dare these aviators get valuable flying hours and practice flying formations. Accidents happen regardless of it being an airshow or not.
Vast_Vegetable9222@reddit
Sure they weren’t Jocks showing off and fuckin’ up their display?
zipper86@reddit
Exactly! We should absulutely schedule more of these boondoggles so that the military knows how to fly jets! Obviously they need the practice.
Significant_Lynx_827@reddit
I’ve never seen planes mate before.
MadMonksJunk@reddit
speed kills, or in this case not. The closure rate goes to near nothing or they'd have exploded on collision.
sierrackh@reddit
Glad all 4 got out.
Not thrilled that taxpayers now need to spend 200 million dollars for a fuckup at an airshow.
mbatt2@reddit
Why were the airplanes doing a high five maneuver? What was the actual intent?
DimeCoffeeRoaster@reddit
Me on my way to the Hillsboro air show right now looking at this…
ChuckNorrisUSAF@reddit
Was that the new action scene being filmed for Top Gun 3?
Joking aside, glad to see all four aviators ejected and recovered safely
Guardsred70@reddit
I really hope everyone is alive and okay.
I’m sick of seeing air show incidents like this. I love air shows. I don’t like seeing people die or get hurt or planes crashing.
Just fly the growler by at stall speed so I can look….then punch it and leave for the next plane.
flightwatcher45@reddit
Wow! Why did they have 2 pilots in each aircraft for a show? Crazy they can collide but somehow did hit each other's cockpits.
blindpylote@reddit
Two sets of eyes are better than one.
seedless0@reddit
Didn't help in this case.
Kardinal@reddit
I suspect it's because they both need flight hours and this is one way they get it.
DentateGyros@reddit
We really need to be re evaluating airshow boss decision-making and acceptable performance margins of error. It feels like we have a mid air collision at least yearly, and while there’s many more airshows that don’t have collisions, the overall airshow collision rate is several orders of magnitude higher than the overall safety standard for aviation
WhiskeyMikeMike@reddit
Hopefully nobody on the ground got hurt
Gunteacher@reddit
It was not into the crowd or the flightline. I can see the smoke from my house!
No-reason_reason@reddit
Well that's one way to make it more exciting, glad everyone is okay from what I'm seeing so far.
Aginor404@reddit
That's got to be the weirdest midair I have ever seen.
DamNamesTaken11@reddit
The planes are secondary, more glad to read about the four chutes.
Otto_von_Grotto@reddit
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/mountain-home-air-force-base-locked-down-after-plane-crash/277-ffa1e9e6-e66a-41a2-84af-f3090359cb41
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1401062302049653&set=a.229692299186665&type=3&ref=embed_post
HENMAN79@reddit
100$ million crash
POGsarehatedbyGod@reddit
Oh damn
1320Fastback@reddit
Damn that's an expensive crash. Glad to hear 4 good shutes were seen!
HNL2BOS@reddit
excellent that all crew seemed to have gotten out, hopefully all are fine. super bad more airframe losses,. especially growlers......
I_GottaPoop@reddit
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
Awesome. Glad they’re okay. Seen another post on FB that they’re being taken to local Hospital for tentative checks.
SRM_Thornfoot@reddit
So Martin-Baker is doing airshow demonstrations now?
SlapThatAce@reddit
Growlers are having a bad year.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit (OP)
4 good Chutes from the Growlers
I_GottaPoop@reddit
Another angle of the smoke