MHAFB Gunfighter Skies air show crash video
Posted by azdrugdoc@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 620 comments
Credit to Emily Haggerty for the video
Posted by azdrugdoc@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 620 comments
Credit to Emily Haggerty for the video
Phyrexian_Archlegion@reddit
What squadron did these Growlers belong to? VFA-105?
Existing_Mobile4390@reddit
VAQ-129
Imperial_Citizen_00@reddit
Thank you, I was with 139 many years ago and had a few buddies in 129…that was in 2014 though, many many moons ago
Existing_Mobile4390@reddit
The Cougars! Thank you for your service!
I’ve actually got a question for ya. I’m a pnw aviation photographer and am nearby the VR-1355 route.
Did you ever fly that route and if so do you know how I would be able to find out when fighters rip thru there? Thanks!
Imperial_Citizen_00@reddit
Wasn’t a pilot sorry! Enlisted support personnel
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
The crew of the ‘bottom’ growler is so lucky they had a clean window to punch out without hitting the other one.
Throb_Zomby@reddit
Reaction time was insane also. Makes me wonder if they just ejected and hoped for the best.
flightist@reddit
I think that’s probably a fair way to describe most ejections.
thederevolutions@reddit
It’s so weird to think what a monumental shift of perception they underwent in like 10 seconds
Crackstacker@reddit
Yeah, there’s a good body cam video of a fighter jet pilot ejecting in Ukraine just before his jet crashes. One second he’s flying the aircraft and a few seconds later he’s laying in a farm field. I looked up the post, here it is:
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/VvTAzoVN6N
JBR1961@reddit
If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!"
FuzzzyRam@reddit
"Father who murders sons, husband who murders wives, and I will pretend it's for Putin's vengeance in this life and burn in the next..."
mrcusaurelius23@reddit
Are you not entertained?
danit0ba94@reddit
How wild must that be.
You're bodily, mentally and emotionally locked in to that airplane.
And all of a sudden, in little more than the blink of an eye, fuck you you're in a cornfield with bugs and bees flying around you. After being rocketed out your ass by that violent, but life saving, ejection seat.
I can't imagine the mental whiplash. (As well as the physical of course)
TheBlacktom@reddit
I don't know what was in their heads for those 10 seconds. But at the end of those 10 seconds they were the 4 happiest people on the planet, that's for sure.
00owl@reddit
Well, they weren't on the planet yet after only 10 seconds. Took another minute or so for that
TheBlacktom@reddit
I think anything below the Kármán line or suborbital should be considered being on the planet.
userhwon@reddit
Fighter pilots. Hooked up differn't.
flightist@reddit
Good training is a hell of a thing.
danit0ba94@reddit
I think so too haha
CounterSimple3771@reddit
And carrier landings
Silverwhite2@reddit
Reaction time was insane? That just feels like a strange thing to say.
Throb_Zomby@reddit
I’m a strange guy.
Independent_Leg7358@reddit
Looks like they both attempted to fly and then when it was we are probably gonna crash did they bail. It wasn't a lets eject right now.
DietCherrySoda@reddit
Does that not describe every ejection ever?
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
Yup.
BlatantConservative@reddit
Technically every time you fly you fly until you leave the airplane
MechanicalTurkish@reddit
Sometimes you’re still flying when you leave.
Independent_Leg7358@reddit
That wasn't exactly a fender bender. They knew there was a hard impact and the plane wasn't flying. They still tried.
Have you not see all the premature ejections the airforce has had?
slidellian@reddit
The premature what?
CptSandbag73@reddit
Only the navy has premature ejections, it’s when the seamen come out too soon.
gromm93@reddit
Looks like they heard a loud bang from colliding, the whole world went sideways, and made the instant decision that everything had gone pear-shaped, and it's time to get out.
It doesn't look like they took the time to verify that the route they were about to take, was a clear one, and they weren't just ejecting into the other aircraft.
tomdarch@reddit
Would have been wild if they had been able to disentangle and recover...
danit0ba94@reddit
Those pilots' electric meatballs are operating on turbo overdrive, while flying those jets.
I'd expect nothing fast than lightning-quick decisions to gtfo. 🙏 Im just gratefull they weren't facing each other when they made the call.
QueefSeekingMissile@reddit
It makes me wonder if the computer auto-ejected based on altitude and airspeed/stall indicating.
Throb_Zomby@reddit
I am not so sure about that QueeSeekingMissile. I was a Helo framer in my time.
546875674c6966650d0a@reddit
Pull and pray SOP as I understand it.
Professional_Will241@reddit
The WIZOs in the back are trained to make an ejection decision so I bet it was them guarding the handle.
disillusioned@reddit
Really puts the bottom in power bottom...
mightylordredbeard@reddit
I remember an older video of someone who ejected, but their cord got caught on the wing of the plane as it tumbled through the air. The pilot couldn’t get loose as the plane tumbled through the air with the chute cord flailing him around. He ended up dying as the plane hit the ground. I’ll never forget seeing that video as a child some 30 years ago and every time I see a video of someone ejecting from a plane I’m reminded of it.
d4rkha1f@reddit
That could have given them a real Goose egg
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drumboy206@reddit
I see what you did there
Risethewake@reddit
He’s dangerous.
warm_winds_whisper_@reddit
A maverick even
Kruse@reddit
Were they essentially belly to belly? Otherwise, I have no idea how one of the crews ejects.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Belly to top/canopy. Basically a miracle the top aircraft didn’t block the other from ejecting. Super super lucky. Would have been a way worse moment than Goose.
Kruse@reddit
Completely nuts.
No_Public_7677@reddit
How do we know they're not severely injured?
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Reported that all crew were walking around, and preemptively taken to hospital for checks, as usual. Will probably find out more details soon.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
A couple more degrees to the right and they’re total goners…
smarmageddon@reddit
You see, when two airplanes love each other an awful lot....
CalmpBump49@reddit
Bro, just STOP using IA
Disastrous_Life_3612@reddit
People really need to stop accusing everything of being fake just because it "looks weird".
CalmpBump49@reddit
sure, because two fighters going up together like a couple dancing it's a usual dynamics of an air crash
madman320@reddit
Do you know what the dynamics of a air crash look like in order to judge this? How many seasons of Air Crash Investigation did you watch to reach that conclusion?
CalmpBump49@reddit
I have seen two aircrashes and lost a friend in one of them
No need to pay cable TV to watch this
madman320@reddit
Sorry about your friend, but having seen plane crashes doesn't qualify anyone to be an expert in physics and aerodynamics.
By the way, the video IS real. The mere fact that the original video is longer than 30 seconds greatly reduces the chances of it being AI. There are no artifacts in the video that could indicate any use of AI. If your only argument is "it looks bizarre," that's not a good one. I've seen a lot of bizarre things in my life before AI existed, and I'm not going to automatically accuse AI of anything bizarre I see from now on.
CalmpBump49@reddit
A retired F-18 navy pilot shared the same opinion as mine for the same reason
And video length isn’t my point here
madman320@reddit
I believe this second angle is enough to definitively end this discussion about whether it's AI or not.
https://x.com/Brick_Suit/status/2056183711549608239
latedescent@reddit
I get why you think that, cause its so unreal looking, but this footage is real unfortunately
CalmpBump49@reddit
I'm not the only one
https://x.com/CWLemoine/status/2056089959300276732
latedescent@reddit
I really hope we can get a second angle of this one.
madman320@reddit
https://x.com/Brick_Suit/status/2056183711549608239
latedescent@reddit
thank you!
madman320@reddit
It's real
slowpoke2018@reddit
No, it's IA!!!
lol
madman320@reddit
The video is real. There's a slightly longer version if you want to watch it.
https://x.com/BNONews/status/2056088855623651351
slowpoke2018@reddit
I was making a joke about the person above saying IA and not AI
Rubber_Knee@reddit
Good job. No one got it.
If you have to explain your joke, then the joke sucks.
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quanta-quollia@reddit
I got it right away and thought it was funny. Maybe you should get those bees out of your bonnet instead of randomly lashing out at strangers. 😅
Rubber_Knee@reddit
Bonnet?
slowpoke2018@reddit
Pot meet Kettle
CalmpBump49@reddit
the crash for sure, this video, not at all
madman320@reddit
The video is real. There's a longer version if you want to watch it.
https://x.com/BNONews/status/2056088855623651351
Babna_123@reddit
sadly
can-opener-in-a-can@reddit
It’s not IA, this is ID.
EatSleepFlyGuy@reddit
TF is IA?
burgonies@reddit
I’m assuming since this was an air show, that these planes didn’t actually need a second body in them. So two of those chutes were civilians on some VIP ride along? Imagine getting to be in an airshow, crashing, ejecting, and living to tell the tale. Monday’s zoom with your colleagues call is going to be wild.
jcarr2184@reddit
No, both aircraft were occupied by normal 2-person flight crews.
JimmyRussellsApe@reddit
This is what happens when two Growlers really love each other
tubtubtubs@reddit
Can confirm. Was there. It's absolutely real
windjetman62@reddit
What maneuver were they doing when they got stuck together?
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
They weren’t. They were repositioning for the next pass. And they both lost track of each other. That’s… not gonna end well for them. But they’re lucky to all be alive.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
I love how people are coming to a conclusion, it will not end well for them. The investigation has not started. We really have no idea why it happened. If it was pilot error, this will most likely not end their flying career in the Navy.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
I come from this community, and I've seen enough to know what happened. Clearly the lost track of each other because... they hit. They don't hit if they haven't lost track of each other. And there isn't going to be an acceptable excuse for being heads-down on an airshow join. There is no hypothetical in existence that clears them. So that's why I'm confident in saying this won't end well for them.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
What about mechanical error or electrical error? Maybe a system failed. We do not know.
I read in other subs it was windy that day. 30 plus mph. Maybe it was winds or wind shear? Thats my point. We do not know all the factors that caused this. There have been other airforce and navy pilots that have crashed due to pilot error and kept flying after the investigation was over.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Explain how that would make two planes hit. You didn’t actually think about this…
What system can fail and make them hit?
No, that’s not how any of this works. Bumpy air does not make them fly into each other.
Your point was to name a bunch of things that it definitely can’t be?
I didn’t claim they were never going to fly again.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
So flight surfaces can not fail? Or systems that runs those surfaces can't fail? But ok. Im glad you know the exact reason why this happened. You should be in charge of the investigation board.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
It wouldn’t cause that.
What on earth makes you think that when they fail, they just go hard over? When they fail, they just stop moving. So that can’t cause what we saw here.
You are just further proving my assumption correct. We’re just going down the list of things it’s definitely not.
This ain’t my first rodeo. Mid-air collisions are ALWAYS pilot error. You won’t find any military accident report saying otherwise.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
Flying close together but a flight surface failing such as elevators can not cause a collision? Wow. Hilarious.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
No. How would that cause a collision? Walk me through this. You have no clue how these systems work. You’re just guessing. The EA-18 doesn’t even have elevators…
That’s pretty much what they’re gonna do.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
When I say elevators you know exactly what I mean. You know the thing that makes an aircraft point up and down from stick input.
Thats pretty much what they are going to do? You realize all the maintenance records are combed thru during an investigation? They look at weather, the briefing and so on. So no, it's not what they are goong to do. There will be a full investigation going over everything. Dude, you can not be taken seriously at this point.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
It wouldn’t cause that.
What on earth makes you think that when they fail, they just go hard over? When they fail, they just stop moving. So that can’t cause what we saw here.
You are just further proving my assumption correct. We’re just going down the list of things it’s definitely not.
This ain’t my first rodeo. Mid-air collisions are ALWAYS pilot error. You won’t find any military accident report saying otherwise.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
Ok good to know. I actually meant to say control surface. Vocabulary was failing me at the time. Good to know if an elevator fails it would not cause a mid air when flying close together.
KEPD-350@reddit
Man, the debriefing, the amount of paperwork, testimonies and just general fucking headache for these guys is going to be fucking hell.
I feel sorry for them. Imagine getting your entire career reviewed and every single choice leading up to the ejection scrutinized by an army of people.
Tacomaguy24@reddit
Rightfully so, though...this could have been really bad if it was closer to the crowd.
Carlito_2112@reddit
See also the Rammstein air show disaster.
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
New airshow rules after the 2011 Reno crash ensures the crowd is far away.
Tacomaguy24@reddit
Have you been to an airshow? An out of control jet/crash could absolutely be close to the crowd ...
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
Highly unlikely with the new rules after 2011.
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
I don’t feel sorry for them…they royally screwed the pooch and cost the taxpayers over $150 Million.
bhalter80@reddit
Drop in the bucket compared to 29B to turn a cold war with Iran into a shooting war with Iran with 0 to show for it and an enemy so eviscerated (as reported at the beginning of April) that they don't feel the need to unconditionally surrender
CommuterType@reddit
I'm a fairly high earning taxpayer. I'll probaay pay $2 million in federal tax over my entire working career. If you add interest on the debt to buy those two planes it will take 150 more just like me just to pay off this airshow stunt. And that's if our federal taxes pay for nothing else
bhalter80@reddit
Brother i hear you and it's not even going to take me a whole career to get to that numbers. My point is just that this is easy to point at like going to Starbucks less often as a way to save money personally until you tackle the big things like your housing bill the Starbucks bill isn't going to change enough to matter
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
True, but it all adds up. It’s still another $150 Million out of the budget.
Ok_Recording81@reddit
You have no idea how or why it happened. The investigation is just now starting. Could of been of been wind shear, mechanical problem or something else. If it was pilot error, most likely will be restored to flight duty after the investigation. People are quick to judge and assume without knowing any of the facts.
KEPD-350@reddit
All four of them?
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
Did I stutter?
G25777K@reddit
They won’t be flying anytime soon
Front_State6406@reddit
Looks like reverse cowgirl, but I'm not plane expert
Haunting_Lime308@reddit
They call this one the mating ritual.
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ImNotSkankHunt42@reddit
Mile High Club
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tubtubtubs@reddit
I was in my car trying to get into the show. They swung around right in front of us in a wide tight formation turn. I had my window down and heard a big roar right after they passed out of my sight. Stuck my head out the window and saw the four chutes. The roar must have been when the aircraft were nose up kind of hovering there. When I first saw the chutes there was no smoke yet. It's been really gusty, in fact they posted yesterday that today's show might be canceled because of wind. Best guess is that had something to do with it.
NoDoze-@reddit
Thats what Im wondering, how did they end up like that?
beavwarius@reddit
Where was this at?
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Mountain Home Air Force base.
NUDES_4_CHRIST@reddit
An hour outside of Boise.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
1,450 miles out of Oklahoma City
jmonty42@reddit
29 hours out of Mackinaw City
Successful_Speech734@reddit
2200 miles outside of Eglin AFB
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
1434.5km from 56°31'05.63"N 116°13'30.22"W
Long_Pomegranate2469@reddit
A bit farther than the chemist down the road
danit0ba94@reddit
What chemist? All I saw was a fumigation operation.
notusuallyhostile@reddit
1,300 miles NW of Kansas City, MO
N205FR@reddit
3218.687999999999999999 kilometers outside of Fort Yukon, Alaska
TheGacAttack@reddit
Slightly less than that from Kansas City, KS.
Tattered_Reason@reddit
4,234.66 nuatical miles from the Blackfriar pub, Blackfriars, City of London, UK.
Roelmen@reddit
.66? Are you sure?
Phog_of_War@reddit
Found the Typhoon jockey!
userhwon@reddit
"doot, doot, doot, walkin' out my back door..."
notsurwhybutimhere@reddit
They have a history of exciting ejections at air shows there.
https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/fighter/f16/f16_crash_02.jpg
offtherighttrack@reddit
I am very familiar with that iconic photo and the associated videos, but didn't know it was at Mountain Home. Wild.
Rudfud@reddit
I was a kid watching the airshow when that crash happened, it's still crazy to think about. Just seeing this jet come in low, dip behind the people blocking my line of sight and then just a fireball.
InitiativeGold7953@reddit
Today???
Jake777x@reddit
Like 45 minutes ago
TheWheez@reddit
South-east of Boise, Idaho
tantricbean@reddit
What led to this? I am struggling to imagine how they got in this position.
Techhead7890@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/1tfyi09/comment/omd0a57/
MichiganRedWing@reddit
Contact.
TheElRojo@reddit
Technically correct; the best kind of correct.
Imtherealwaffle@reddit
insane. literally looks like something out of dcs
relativityboy@reddit
Do you get to keep flying after a crash like this?
Paperthinpsyche@reddit
Looks like eagles mating.
lordnacho666@reddit
What was the intended maneuver? Looks really odd the way they look like they're glued together.
Kardinal@reddit
There's another video from Facebook that includes footage before the collision.
It appeared the trailing plane was forming on the lead aircraft after a turn, at a higher speed and the angle was too shallow. So the trailing aircraft's vertical velocity was too high and it basically collides on top of the lead aircraft. This seemed to disrupt the use of the lead aircraft probably due to rudder damage and thus it twists to a vertical orientation and takes the trailing plane with it.
Not a pilot. Just a guess.
lessdothisshit@reddit
Not a pilot, but the next best thing: 700hrs in the back of an EA-18G. This was an unsafe join. Follow your ABCs: Altitude, Bearing, Closure. Get established below lead, get on a 45° bearing, smoothly move in. The Growler demo team took a shortcut to make the join, and maybe you can occasionally--regularly--get away with a risky join, but not always.
Watch the Blues. Their joins are shockingly fast, but they always follow the ABCs of a rejoin.
Kardinal@reddit
Thanks for chiming in.
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
They done collided.
oSuJeff97@reddit
Yeah I was having the hardest time making sense of this at first.
Like what in the world were they doing to get into that position in the first place?
StagedC0mbustion@reddit
I thought it was ai slop at first
Techhead7890@reddit
Right? I was like, that's a weird artefact, diffusion must have predicted wrong; that's why it's all pixelly and this plane has two cockpits or something.... then I was like, what the hell is this, Top Gun with the two planes inverted ontop of each other?
It was not a mistake, real life is stranger than fiction and looking at the FB footage, I really was looking at two planes that slid stacked on each other.
Independent_Leg7358@reddit
When a mommy plane and a daddy plane love each other a lot. And choose to join the mile high club instead of the privacy of a hanger...
AdoringCHIN@reddit
Gotta love Reddit's habit of making a dumb joke instead of actually answering the question
Totally_Not_A_Bot_FR@reddit
Mods could give a shit. It'll continue until they care enough to do something about it.
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eyeoutthere@reddit
I wish the children would quite down so the adults can have a conversation. This is the third time I have seen this same "joke" scrolling through the comments looking for information.
reddsht@reddit
Ohh, is it normal to eject 4 times in a row, in such a short amount of time?
Risethewake@reddit
Premature ejection is a serious medical condition.
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Long_Pomegranate2469@reddit
Ejecting too much will shorten your spine
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andreotnemem@reddit
Yes, but only once a day.
Pristine_Intern178@reddit
I'm sorry, I must be tired
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BigJellyfish1906@reddit
They were repositioning for the next pass. And they both lost track of each other. That’s… not gonna end well for them. But they’re lucky to all be alive.
oSuJeff97@reddit
Yeah I saw the longer video and so it makes sense now. The first video I saw started with them “locked together.”
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
I can’t comment on the intended manoeuvre, but it’s all just aerodynamics and physics keeping them stuck together
enataca@reddit
You can tell by they way that they are
USA_A-OK@reddit
Neat!
BattleHall@reddit
Yeah, if I had to guess, almost like some sort of weird boundary layer effect, like they got caught in the disturbed air coming off the other jet which caused their control surfaces to stall out and for them to behave like one object aerodynamically.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
They were repositioning for the next pass. And they both lost track of each other. That’s… not gonna end well for them. But they’re lucky to all be alive.
peteroh9@reddit
You keep saying this, but the point is that they were just floating next to each other instead of colliding normally. What was actually going on?
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
They aren’t “floating.” They’re flying away from the camera person, so you start going to see line-of-sight rates. The bottom plane was closing on the top plane, and it appears both people were heads down at the worst possible time.
peteroh9@reddit
Thank you. That's what people were asking for.
new_tanker@reddit
I would like to think the winds were a contributing factor in this; it was quite windy all weekend.
I'm curious if the aircrews even had up-to-date winds given to them when they were cleared to take off by the Air Boss, or if he had to ask the tower to provide that (which may have been several minutes old). That would also lead me to think IF the Air Boss had to ask the tower, he didn't have the equipment with him to give him real time weather information.
AztecPilot1MY@reddit
What the heck happened? Am I seeing two fighters locked together? How did that happen?
payne51558@reddit
WTF are these planes doing so close together?!
Ok-Pomegranate8977@reddit
Shitty pilots
kaithejokester@reddit
To put on a good show.
notanishill@reddit
Crazy how they just hung in mid air for a second
FortniteGaveMeAids@reddit
reminds me of that one F-4 crash after takeoff where it just slowly fell to the ground
pizzlepullerofkberg@reddit
I was at Pt. Mugu Air Show as a kid and I witnessed an F-4 crash. I remember my dad trying to cover my face but I remember it so vividly. Flameout, loss of control and a last minute ejection. It was an older QF-4 but still, just awful.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Q means it was a target aircraft, remote controlled for weapons tests. Unless I’m missing something.
LefsaMadMuppet@reddit
Q aircraft are usually regenerated for around 300 hours of flight time for testing purposes. While in many cases the do end up as live targets, they are also used for non destructive testing and simulated threats. They may be manned or unmanned, although it is generally preferred that kinetic kill missions be unmanned. QF-4Es have a distinct box behind the left air intake above the wing.
BattleHall@reddit
When you’re extra unlucky on Drop Day…
Matir@reddit
Literally laughed out loud at that bit.
Castun@reddit
"Hey honey, didn't you say your mom wanted to go ride in a fighter jet?
BMW_wulfi@reddit
But what if I’m into that and take the payday upfront…
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Interesting! Learn something every day. I knew they were flown manned for several reasons, just wouldn’t have had airshows on my list of uses. Makes sense though as a way to mitigate risking more useful airframes.
KinneticSlammer2@reddit
QF-4s get flown around with people still in them, iirc the position is called safety pilot
Overall-Register9758@reddit
What could be safer than not being in the target craft?
stacey1771@reddit
an actual pilot would fly them from Mugu to San Nicolas; off SNI they'd be remote controlled when doing the actual missile testing. (former Navy AC that was sadly stationed at SNI)
MattWatchesMeSleep@reddit
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/231077
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Huh. “Manned drone”, interesting! I figured they were flown around to move them, or whatever but didn’t expect an airshow.
koffa02@reddit
I watched an F-16 ejection prior to takeoff while I was in Iraq. Two planes at a time would head out on patrol, fully loaded for mayhem every hour or so. We were sitting on the wing of our C-130 taking a break from some engine work, watching other planes takeoff and land. The next thing we know, the lead F-16 has veered off into the grassy area between the two runways. We see the pilot eject, then his wingman go almost vertical to avoid hitting the chute. Then the F-16 did a couple front flips before going up in a ball of flames. Because it wad loaded for combat, the fire department refused to approach the wreck. So for the next 20 minutes or so we got to watch 20mm rounds cook off in the fire, along with a couple really big booms from the bombs/missles it was carrying.
The pilot survived with minor injuries. It wss latet determined that the nose wheel was under inflated. So about the same time the jet hit V1, the tire burst and the pilot lost control. I've got pictures somewhere I should really find.
DroidLord@reddit
At first I genuinely thought this was some crappy AI video lol. That looked unreal.
Dasshteek@reddit
I thought it was a transformer transforming
PeckerNash@reddit
Goddamn Starscream.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
Engines still making thrust, wings still making lift. Total unknown territory with two planes merged together. This is now how I would have guessed this would look.
CrazedAviator@reddit
Well, its not entirely unknown territory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940_Brocklesby_mid-air_collision
LurpyGeek@reddit
Some people have fewer landings than takeoffs. This is the rare instance of a bloke who has ~more~ landings than takeoffs.
Tight_Hedgehog_6045@reddit
Wowsers. What an incredible effort.
mr_potatoface@reddit
Pilot landed both planes, got a promotion, became an instructor, then...
Tight_Hedgehog_6045@reddit
Yeah that's pretty sad.
shaymcquaid@reddit
Holy $hit!
Carvair-98@reddit
Like a morbid final dance. I will say though, it seems to sort of show the excess power and maneuverability of the airframe, and the very unusual, basically on atop the other, way they collided.
Never seen any video like it, and I do sort of hate to say this but it's true...I've only ever seen it in War Thunder, when I've had a mess around with bomber AI in test flight mode. They can tangle up if you try. Of course, never lasts long. You either separate and glide away with trashed props, or get suplexed into the ground.
bandsam@reddit
its like 2 crashes in 1 but lasted 100x longer
Ok-Farmer-7361@reddit
that is how they reproduce in middair
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PercMastaFTW@reddit
Both the mother and father die after coming together.
It’s a sad but natural reminder of the cycle of life.
Long_Pomegranate2469@reddit
Salmon of the air
Sportyj@reddit
This needs an NSFW tag!
thenamziel@reddit
Stall speeds. The plane traded forward movement for lift. When the plane lost the speeds, it fell.
No_Public_7677@reddit
First Growlers to ever hover
MichiganRedWing@reddit
In tandem till the end.
skiman13579@reddit
Insane looking, but it appears they both followed training. From your first flight lesson every pilot is (or should be) taught one simple rule for ANY in flight emergency….. FLY THE F*CKING AIRPLANE (excuse the language but it’s a very important rule!)
With both planes being at a similar angle, they both probably throttled up and kept trying to fly. Both also probably pulling up because altitude is safety. The power of the engines and/or momentum of planes let them hang in the air for a few seconds. In that time both crews realized, nope we are no longer flying this airplane anymore today, and punched out.
To me it’s less crazy how they hung in the air for a few seconds but absolutely crazy how they were perfectly stacked on top of each other to let all 4 crew members safely eject without hitting each other. An individual aircraft has timing settings and/or different ejection angles to launch both seats without hitting each other, but those design considerations don’t factor ANOTHER two seats also launching just a few feet away!
But thankfully it appears that there are 4 new members of the Tie Club!!!! There is a honorary club created by an ejection seat manufacturer that inducts and provides a special tie for anyone who successfully ejects from an aircraft.
Kardinal@reddit
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
Yup. Always fly the plane first.
userhwon@reddit
Where do you defecate, normally?
userhwon@reddit
The stacking makes some physics sense. The bottom one is being decelerated by the air, and the top one is no longer getting any air and is being decelerated by the bottom one.
This also suggests that the contact may have occurred if they were turning and the lower one blocked airflow to the upper one, which then just fell onto it. Or he just flew onto it and then they couldn't ever get lift again. Something. Video starts really late.
TortillaChip@reddit
It's almost as if they were flying
ImTheJewgernaut@reddit
I don't know why this is down voted, highly underrated comment 😂
Aware_Presentation26@reddit
Wow, what type of maneuver were the pilots attempting? I am glad all 4 parachuted out successfully.
Kanyiko@reddit
Jeez... for a moment the bottom plane's cockpit was right underneath the top plane's fuselage. I don't even want to think of the outcome if the bottom crew had punched out at that exact moment.
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
We’ve all seen TopGun…
They’re so lucky there were no collisions whilst ejecting
Kanyiko@reddit
They would definitely had their Goose cooked if that had happened.
_____rs@reddit
That would really take my breath away
RandyRhythm@reddit
They almost wrote checks their bodies can't cash.
PeckerNash@reddit
No points for second best.
Donnerficker@reddit
I don't think I've seen Top Gun
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
Ngl, I only watched it for the first time last year
keyToOpen@reddit
If that were to happen, you'd hope it would be instant lights out for the pilot. Hopefully in this case everyone is a-ok.
Kardinal@reddit
Photos in the other thread show them walking around so probably just fine. Pending full examination of course.
CollegeStation17155@reddit
Turn to your OTHER left... we can joke because everybody got out and nobody on the ground got hit...
FrenchFriedMushroom@reddit
Isnt it to the right?
Thought with planes and boats that if youre on a head-on situation, youre supposed to go right?
tronix80@reddit
That looked expensive.
ChunksOG@reddit
About $200 million for both planes.
FrenchFriedMushroom@reddit
So....1/5th of one ballroom?
Long_Pomegranate2469@reddit
How about the pilots possibly no longer being able to fly
Kardinal@reddit
Relatively rare that ejections result in injuries sufficient that they can't return to duty. It can happen but not very often.
Long_Pomegranate2469@reddit
There's a max limit on how many times a pilot can eject. It also shortens the spine due to compression.
Kardinal@reddit
There is not a max limit.
You pass the next flight physical or your don't. How many ejections has nothing to do with it.
If you need, I can go find the quotes. But it's tedious.
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
There may not be a published military doctrine stating it, but almost every USAF pilot who has ejected twice was found no longer fit to fly.
Kardinal@reddit
Just repeating what I've heard from verified fighter pilots here and elsewhere.
Obviously to those for whom it is relevant, they know for sure.
devoduder@reddit
And add that to the two that fell off aircraft carriers last year and it’s almost half a billion.
sup3rjub3@reddit
all for the love of the game, baby. we don't need healthcare we gonna die young!
Watpotfaa@reddit
We spend far more on healthcare than we do on the military. Its not that there isnt enough money, its that the money goes to corporate healthcare systems, insurance companies, and pharmaceutical conglomerates rather than ya know, actual people. Its a common misconception that our military spending is one of the reasons why our healthcare sucks but the truth is our healthcare sucks because the system is a putrid, festering blight of rotten corruption to its very core - and throwing more money at that system would accomplish nothing more than make the corrupt even more profitable.
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evthrowawayverysad@reddit
I've always wondered how the USA managed to mess up the basic idea of healthcare for it's population. Like how did the situation get as bad as this, and yet still the population seems entirely unwilling to do anything about it.
But your comment revealed just how absolutely owned the mindset of an American must be corporations, and went some way to explaining it. Thank you.
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VanillaTortilla@reddit
At least they weren't F35s this time.
Kardinal@reddit
Not only expensive, those are special built EA-18G Growlers. There aren't that many of them in the fleet overall and Boeing isn't making the airframes for them anymore.
SugarBeefs@reddit
It can't be that different from the regular Super Hornets and those are still being made.
mz_groups@reddit
The lines for the long-lead items have shut down, I believe, and would be difficult to re-open.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
electronic warfare aircraft have significantly different and upgraded electronic systems.
they have to be wired from the factory.
I suppose if you pulled a stock Rhino apart down to the basic airframe and rebuilt it, you might be able to turn into into a G, but it would cost an insane amount of money.
Kardinal@reddit
I don't know honestly. I know the Growler line was separate and is no longer operational but I don't know how feasible it is to make more Growlers now.
It's possible they were willing to shut it down because they can replace them with F-35Cs in the same role.
Now I'm going to go read and see if that's possible.
Kaboose666@reddit
Uhhh source?
AFAIK every single EA-18G airframe is spoken for (or destroyed). There are exactly zero usable Growlers sitting in the boneyard to just pull out of storage.
Also, the deactivation thing is not what you think it is. The Navy tried to deactivate the 5 land-based expeditionary units that they essentially loan to the Air Force (since the AF retired its own fast-attack jammers decades ago).
It's not that the Navy "doesn't think they need as many as they have", it's that they were playing a high-stakes budget game to try and force the Air Force or the Joint Staff to foot the bill for those land-based deployments.
Congress saw right through it, explicitly blocked the deactivation in the FY23 NDAA, and legally mandated a strict fleet floor because the Pentagon realized the inventory is already dangerously overstretched. Those jets were never retired; they are flying front-line missions right now. Today's crash actively shrinks an already legally protected, hyper-finite fleet baseline.
Kardinal@reddit
I stand corrected then.
SugarBeefs@reddit
Now I'm curious about the airframe differences. I know the Growlers don't have the gun, but if it really is a PITA to do conversions, even when you can start as early in the production process as possible, I wonder what the actual differences are that make this so tricky.
Sensor fittings and routings? Different internal division?
Evilbred@reddit
I have no specific idea, but I assume the electrical system on the Growler is significantly upgraded from the baseline super hornet. And likely has alot more cooling and electrical routing changes to account for all the electronic warfare systems.
These things put out ALOT of power through it's systems, and all that power becomes heat.
SugarBeefs@reddit
Good point.
It might be one of those things where obviously the airframe is largely identical, yet with a lot of small but crucial differences internally to make everything fit right and run smooth. And it's the type of changes you can't create by just putting a grinder into a spar or bulkhead.
amarras@reddit
no
Kardinal@reddit
See my edit. I recognized that.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
oh man, these were growlers?
damn, of all the aircraft to have crash into each other.
those are very expensive and rare models.
Techhead7890@reddit
Yeah, seems like this was the Growler Demonstration team according to Aviationist reporting
Bogartsboss@reddit
Were these out of Widbey?
Striking-Ad299@reddit
Yup, VAQ-129
travel193@reddit
So do taxpayers foot the bill for this?
Soft_Walrus_3605@reddit
Like half a ballroom
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Silverwhite2@reddit
What do you think the meeting on the ground was like?
MCWoody1@reddit
There are only 153 operational F/A-18G Growlers in the fleet. We just lost 0.13% of them in one incident.
Why would the Navy let two of these perform close maneuvers for an airshow when a F/A-18F Super Hornet would be just as interesting in the air?
Dweezil_In_Bondage@reddit
That is wild. They are so lucky. Can't wait to see how they ended up belly to belly like that. So unusual.
imofficiallybored@reddit
Glad to see 4 ejections. Hope all are ok. Insane footage.
amanwithoutaname001@reddit
Looks that all four chutes were landing clear if debris field.
TheWheez@reddit
Was hard to tell if any went through the gas clouds, I imagine that air is kinda toasty
Mrpolje@reddit
A flew signed eyebrows is the best outcome considering how close they where to the ground and each other.
BlatantConservative@reddit
Also the risk of road rage at the bottom where all the pilots landed in the same spot
Castun@reddit
Probably something like this.
BlatantConservative@reddit
Speaking of, "Top Gun" is probably a really funny new callsign the top pilot could get.
frix86@reddit
Think there were some expletives shouted at each other while under canopy?
BlatantConservative@reddit
Right?
"My grandma can fly better formation than you"
Meanwhile the WSOs are like "bro you wanna hit up McDonald's when we get down"
amanwithoutaname001@reddit
Guaranteed they're all just happy to walk away from that one.
I_Feel_Rough@reddit
Ok, now everybody remember where we parked!
Federal_Cobbler6647@reddit
"fucking hell, if we ever get away from filling forms lets go to beer"
lessdothisshit@reddit
Yeaaa, you don't want to grab a beer right after this. The FNAEB is coming, and the worst thing you want is your physical evaluation after the crash to show something. So, you're right, after the paperwork, but paperwork means a long investigation.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Makes me think of that story told by Captn Sam Slammer Richardson when he and his Rio “Nasty” punched out of a flat spin. When they hit the water and found each other, the RIO paddles over to Sam and yells “THAT WAS FCKING AWESOMEE!!”
gromm93@reddit
And that's why they put on Nomex suits before they start their day.
amanwithoutaname001@reddit
At least it appeared that they all passed in front of the clouds
rudedogg1304@reddit
Is there any way to control the chute ? I’ve always wondered what happens if the wind blows u directly to the flames . There’s no way of stopping that ?
Substantial-Low@reddit
You can usually "rotate" round canopies, but they still blow with the wind.
FxckFxntxnyl@reddit
Unless they’ve changed it, I believe there is a panel you can blow out of the chute by pulling certain lines and you can get some form of ‘steering’ with it. Could be remembering wrong though.
amanwithoutaname001@reddit
Yes although not as steerable as a ram air chute.
mattster331@reddit
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/4-crew-members-safely-ejected-following-idaho-jet-crash-ap-reports/277-ffa1e9e6-e66a-41a2-84af-f3090359cb41
Seems like they are. Really crazy to see, I was at this show yesterday.
lessdothisshit@reddit
I expect much more footage, if this was during the main show.
3MATX@reddit
And good to see properly planned event. That looked like an empty field which hopefully it was.
ColdServedDish@reddit
I bet the two fronts wish they were dead
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
Wtf
flying_wrenches@reddit
Fun fact! We perma ban for comments calling for/condoning/encouraging the harm/death of planes/pilots/political figures.
Kardinal@reddit
They've been seen walking around. They are ok.
frankenmaus@reddit
This manoeveur is called "FAFO".
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Reliable_Redundancy@reddit
Better View
Looks like number two had a little bit too much speed on the rejoin, flew over top of number one, and number one (not knowing he was there), pulled up into him.
The collision caused number one to pitch hard up, forcing the two together like pancakes, and together they stalled out and lost all forward momentum.
Glad no one died, that was a close one.
TenderfootGungi@reddit
That ia a much better video.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
I don’t think either of them were looking at each other when this happened. I’m betting the bottom airplane was heads down at the worst possible time.
firstcity_thirdcoast@reddit
Much better view thx
drossmaster4@reddit
Is that how baby planes are made?
sjmuller@reddit
Footage of the lead-up to the crash. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1288595850124883
Kardinal@reddit
My god they were so damn close when they ejected.
I mean those cockpits were parallel but separated by what seemed like ten feet of space. So close.
unreqistered@reddit
them two dudes in the bottom aircraft …
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
*Those two men in the bottom aircraft
nosecohn@reddit
With Growlers, there's a decent chance that at least one of the four crew is a woman.
hans611@reddit
you have to watch this on a large screen frame by frame, the jets do all kinds of crazy movements, it must have felt wild in there... The collision was heavy, those military jets are tough and thank god the speeds where low
HENMAN79@reddit
another $100 million in taxpayers money gone
travel193@reddit
It just seems absurd that we're still willing to tolerate this level of risk to human life and equipment and that the taxpayer foots the bill.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
these were Growlers, not run of the mill Rhinos, so that's about 260 million.
CMCdaGoat@reddit
That crash would have fed hundreds of thousands of people. Just gone in a ball of flames.
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nugohs@reddit
Well the making of them did to some degree, though admittedly funded a few yachts too.
CapacitorCosmo1@reddit
Each...so 200 mil. Glad they weren't flying pods....
theoriginalturk@reddit
But don’t worry it was really cool to watch for 6 minutes
Fucking waste of taxpayer money
fireandlifeincarnate@reddit
Look, if they're gonna spend all that money, we should at least get to see it
theoriginalturk@reddit
Sure, we got to see it
The part where we lost almost 5,000 undergraduate full ride scholarships using some weapons of war for some entertainment
There’s no way to skin this cat that isn’t a complete waste, and it’s not the first airshow that’s cost a lot of money, I guess we’re lucky nobody was killed
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Old-GliderGuider@reddit
Great to see chutes. That is a career ending event. Great that all involved survived the accident. Difficult time ahead but, alive to see it through. That’s worth a lot!
RdtRanger6969@reddit
Putting my risk mitigation hat on, why were 2 “extra” airmen in those aircraft when not required for the operation of either aircraft for this particular mission (a demonstration flight)? Four lives were at risk (any flight is a risk) when only two were necessary.
Yeah, I get demo flights are used as “rewards” for other service members sometimes, but still…
Magooose@reddit
I wonder if the wind had anything to do with it. Very windy today. There was talk a couple of days ago the the high winds predicted for today would keep the Thunderbirds from performing.
new_tanker@reddit
That's one thing going through my mind. I'd be curious if the crews had the current wind information and not something from a weather observation that was 10-15 minutes old. (Did the airshow's Air boss have the ability to get real time weather information?)
heebro@reddit
someone from /r/NonCredibleDefense wanted to see them kiss
AbandonChip@reddit
Dont they get some sort of special badge for surviving an ejection too?
Safe_Application_465@reddit
The seat maker Martin Baker used to give a watch ( Rolex ? ) to anybody having to use their seat
gilbert5s@reddit
Which squadron?
gavriellloken@reddit
Vaq-129
Spazzola84@reddit
I don't mean to make light of this situation, I am glad the pilots are alright, but... Were the jets trying to mate against the demands of the crew?
TheFuqAmIlookingAt@reddit
That's an airshow alright
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
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lockerno177@reddit
warthunder ahh crash. glad the pilots survived.
TheGacAttack@reddit
Would love to see the 10 seconds prior to this.
Super glad to see four chutes. What a wild stroke of luck they all had clear paths out.
Thebraincellisorange@reddit
leadup is here. bloody miracle they all made it out and didn't collide on ejection or on the way down.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1288595850124883
Imperial_Citizen_00@reddit
Do we know the squadron? I was assigned to VAQ-139 back in the day
tbfkak@reddit
That’s a big loss of situational awareness. Glad they’re all ok, but really, this is inexcusable. Could’ve been a total disaster if one (or both) came down on the crowd.
AreThree@reddit
I thought my eyes were just seeing double or that the craft (which I am obviously unfamiliar with) was some sort of trainer having two front sections with cockpits...
I had to go back and watch the footage again to see that it was two separate aircraft trying to share the same piece of air.
The ejections is quick succession made part of my brain think they were all "connected" in some physical way as part of a single craft.
Yikes!
blorbschploble@reddit
Man that’s a kind of crash basically only F-18s are capable of.
danit0ba94@reddit
Ngl seeing a quad ejection and chute deploy was fucking rad.
And they all seem to have survived!!
And nobody else got hurt!
On top of seeing a pair of hornets do a mating dance of death. Something I never thought I'd see in my lifetime. 100/10 footage.
-burnr-@reddit
That looks expensive 😳
Notonfoodstamps@reddit
Is it Growler mating season already?
How all 4 pilots managed to survive this is wild.
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Blue-Gose@reddit
Looked like eagles mating! 🦅
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Strong_Quiet_4569@reddit
That would have been an F30. This is an F36.
csmarmot@reddit
Too soon? Or brilliant? I guess 2 things can be true.
Whatever_Lurker@reddit
It’s important not to have fighter jets mate with each other during air shows.
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BlatantConservative@reddit
You know the pilot's new callsign is "humper"
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AdSquare3489@reddit
These were both males. The females are much bigger, fly slower and look totally different.
SouthFromGranada@reddit
Idk, a name like Growler suggests female anatomy to me
Whatever_Lurker@reddit
Are you suggesting these jets were gay?
Coldulva@reddit
Well they are Navy so...
abscissa081@reddit
In the Navyyyyyyyy
AdSquare3489@reddit
You've seen it too. It is what it is.
Dandan0005@reddit
What do you think the F stands for??
mrvarmint@reddit
Safe mating only takes place on the ground between Growlers, or in the air between a fighter and any flying gas station.
can-opener-in-a-can@reddit
Hey, now. That’s how we get T-5’s.
MikeW226@reddit
May be too soon, but I wonder if ejection seats have bumped the riskiness-scale of these maneuvers upward at all...knowing (thank goodness) that they can eject if it goes bad. Writing checks that can't be cashed...to quote that darn Top Gun movie. Downvote *now.
Totally_Not_A_Bot_FR@reddit
Congratulations.
Even with all the dumbass jokes in this thread, you've managed to grace us with the dumbest fucking take of the day so far. Nice work!!
MikeW226@reddit
I had the feeling it would be seen as dumb, but said it anyhow. 'Preciate it.
Nousername58@reddit
Do you think they had an argument as to who was at fault on the way down?
DUDE! Wtf?!
Satur_Nine@reddit
Can someone tell me what I’m seeing here? It looks like two hornets stuck together in midair
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
Yeah…
Hornet A gave Hornet B a cuddle and the aircrew decided to not be involved any more than that
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beavwarius@reddit
When two growler's love each other very much, and want to show that love...
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eyeoutthere@reddit
You are number 5.
I am counting how many times I see this "joke" is repeated in this thread.
ALLCAPS-ONLY@reddit
It's so tiring seeing an interesting question and the answer is just a pathetic joke everyone's already thought of
KS_Gaming@reddit
It always surprises me how the same 17 jokes the whole reddit has in total keep getting upvoted, do people just see the same shit for the 394749391th time and go like hmm yes good content👍?
eyeoutthere@reddit
That's usually my cue to leave a thread, but I was hunting for context. I ended up finding it in a comment further down. It shows how the two just ended up coming together:
https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/7LKg1uDUFu
marvellousrun@reddit
Reddit in a nutshell
eyeoutthere@reddit
This comment is helpful: https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/7LKg1uDUFu
Kanyiko@reddit
Two times $130 million becoming a tangled mess of $260 million before heavily devaluing to just a fraction of their face value.
s_man_md@reddit
Scrap metal
legonutter@reddit
Yup thats exactly what it is.
Satur_Nine@reddit
Absolutely insane. /r/nevertellmetheodds
AeroTacos@reddit
Yup, one seems to have flown in on top of the other from behind at similar speed and they got entangled.
22Planeguy@reddit
Growlers, but yeah, that's about what's happening here.
Matt-R@reddit
Longer video from another angle
BonChance123@reddit
If you put two EA-18 Growlers together, it's usually enough to be an EA-36 Mini-keg
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zogolophigon@reddit
What am I watching? Two aircraft colliding at an airshow? Didn't see it was two aircraft until i saw 4 chutes. All survived?
R-ten-K@reddit
Well, when one F-18 loves another F-18 very much, they do this mating dance in the air and...
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ParadoxumFilum@reddit
4 chutes, 4 safe aircrew
kck@reddit
Do we actually know they are safe? Parachutes are great to see, but...
testfire10@reddit
Flair checks out
zogolophigon@reddit
Thats good news! I worried they might have hit debris or something on their way out
SirSourdough@reddit
Originally I thought it was low quality footage of one plane with artifacting or something.... Wild video.
zipper86@reddit
What a ridiculous waste.
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BladeEater23@reddit
Is this the new Battlefield?
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Mr_microplastics_Yum@reddit
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Efficient_Sky5173@reddit
The two fighters waltz dance maneuver didn’t go as planned.
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jaysvw@reddit
Just out of curiosity, what happens to the pilot's careers after something this, assuming they are found to be responsible?
malcifer11@reddit
This question has been answered as nauseam. It depends on countless factors and conditions. ‘Found to be responsible’ is a nearly infinite range of outcomes all on its own.
PilotGuy701@reddit
Thank you for posting a video instead of a link to a Zuck or Elon site.
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StoneColdSoberReally@reddit
When a Mummy EF/18 and a Daddy EF/18 get very close...
No, wait. Not like that!
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libertiac@reddit
Enemy Growler used Electronic attack
Growler is confused!
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malcifer11@reddit
Holy shit
CartographerLess8392@reddit
These two planes are caught in their natural habitat and this is their mating ritual, after 4 babies are expelled the planes die because their lifecycle came to an end.
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domesystem@reddit
Mating dance gone wrong there
Ornery_Year_9870@reddit
First mating comment in the thread! So very clever.
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BlatantConservative@reddit
I can make this joke after confirming all the pilots are all right but...
You know the top pilot's new callsign is "Humper"
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chunt75@reddit
Ejection seat manufacturers are having a generational run this year. Lots of ties getting handed out
SaintedTainted@reddit
First Footage Of E/A-18's Mating In Air
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SRM_Thornfoot@reddit
Much like the cephelapod, after courtship and a brief mating the Hornets both spawn then die. Leaving their jellyfish like offspring to drift in the wind until they find a home somewhere on the desert floor.
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SkunkMonkey@reddit
Aww look, the fighter jets are making baby jets.
Like, what the fuck is going on here?
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Marklar0@reddit
A rare look at the mating ritual of the growler. Hope the 4 chicks made a safe landing
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Razzledazzy@reddit
I'm glad everyone lived so we get to see all the funny jokes.
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Totally_Not_A_Bot_FR@reddit
I wish the fucking mods here would do something about all the bullshit jokes anyway. It's the same clowns in every post rushing to get the sweet sweet updoots by making the same dumbass jokes that a hundred other assholes have made.
Coyote-Foxtrot@reddit
The way they hug together for so long is some thing I see a lot with something like Kerbal space program
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MissNashPredators11@reddit
This is why we neuter all the aircraft.
(Seriously I really hope everyone there was ok that’s terrifying af)
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Redsoxdragon@reddit
When a mommy plane loves a daddy plane very much
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pencilsharper66@reddit
Talk to me goose.
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54H60-77@reddit
Should have named it the EA-18G Salmon. Because the salmon also dies after mating
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Jills89@reddit
Was looking away for the first 5 seconds and thought “what the hell is that plane?” When I looked.
Glad all seems to be safe. I’d love to know what manoeuvre was being attempted?
SugarBeefs@reddit
I don't think there was a maneuver. Looks like wingman tries to form up on lead but is above and a little faster and they lost track of each other.
mechabeast@reddit
Were they stuck together?
escapingdarwin@reddit
Why are they flying Growlers in an air show?
72corvids@reddit
The USN has been doing Growler demos for a long time, mate. 6 years.
reddituserperson1122@reddit
It is odd though. BFM (or ACM) isn't really a core Growler competency. Seems like both a waste of time and hours for the Growlers and it puts people who are less well prepared to do this kind of thing in the cockpit. Way beyond my expertise though. That's just how it appears to this layperson. Plus now your small Growler fleet just got smaller.
escapingdarwin@reddit
Agree. This makes like four Growler crashes in the past two years?
Particular_Routine43@reddit
How did the jets get stuck together?
SugarBeefs@reddit
Wingman a/c seems to impact the vertical stabilizers of the lead a/c, pitching it up sharply due to a lever effect I presume. Now they're belly to back and they might be actually entangled/light impaled on each other to some degree.
From there on I'm guessing what helps them 'stick' together is the fact that they're identical jets in the exact same position so they're probably going to behave similarly when it comes to falling out of the sky.
No_Public_7677@reddit
Is there actual confirmation that all the crew is safe? Just because we see chutes, doesn't mean everyone attached to them is alive.
Kardinal@reddit
Yes. Multiple confirmations.
TaskForceCausality@reddit
Glad everyone got out safe. Sadly, I expect Big Navys gonna roast these people so badly they’ll half wish they didn’t.
Xray5018@reddit
At least the back seaters are just along for the ride (and I guess now spinal compression, and new watch from Martin Baker)
SugarBeefs@reddit
Backseaters have a pair of eyes too and are very much expected to be not-passive when it comes to flying the jet. It's all Crew Resource Management at the end of the day.
And it's not like they have much else to do back there on an airshow ride.
APilot2607@reddit
M H ?
Roelmen@reddit
The sequence of ejection is spot on!
Tajandoen@reddit
Good grief! When did this happen?
PM_ME_SAD_STUFF_PLZ@reddit
Minutes ago
Carribean-Diver@reddit
Amazing that we get footage like this mere minutes after an event like this occurs.
What a time to be alive.
Whatsthathum@reddit
I agree. It's stunning.
Tajandoen@reddit
Thanks! That's confronting footage!!
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
From everything I’m ready, in the last few hours. In all honestly, probably within the last 30 minutes
PapaEchoKilo@reddit
Second major airshow crash at mountain home AFB
Which_Material_3100@reddit
Holy hell!
Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit
Crazy how the 2 crews both realized it was over and ejected at nearly the same time. So lucky that they are all okay!!
NedTaggart@reddit
man, the pilots in the distal plane are lucky they didnt eject into the one on top. they were hung up like mating eagles.
MacGibber@reddit
Freaky how the planes completely crashed in unison
prancing_moose@reddit
I was holding by breath until I saw 4 good chutes, I hope everyone came out without injuries. This could have gone a lot worse.
I also hope nobody got injured on the ground.
thisonesforthetoys@reddit
Today two F-18's mated in front of onlookers to create next gen F-36.
I_Fix_Aeroplane@reddit
Airshows are so insanely and needlessly dangerous. I can't believe the FAA allows them. There are so many accidents every year from airshows. Mostly the smaller ones with jenky/poorly maintained ultra lights or antiques or just dangerous maneuvers.
entropyffan@reddit
What is happening in the video? The two jets seems to be glued to each other?
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
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Total_Wrongdoer_1535@reddit
Probably one of the most beautiful crushes I’ve ever seen.
Hopefully everyone is alive and well
Speedbird14@reddit
That doesn't even look real. Absolutely wild! Hopefully those 4 chutes have 4 uninjured pilots. Expensive day for the Navy.
BreadstickNICK@reddit
Holy shit! What 2 planes were in this crash? Absolutely unreal footage. Are the pilots injured?!
FortniteGaveMeAids@reddit
Looks like E/A-18G growlers. AFAIK they're en route to hospital and okay. Haven't seen anything with regards to injuries
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
Hospital is the normal precaution, usually minimal injuries if any. It’s rare nowadays for there to be serious injuries caused by the ejection.
javlarm8@reddit
Umm.. what?
There are serious spinal and disc injuries in like 25% of ejections. It’s quite possibly career ending.
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
Thats a myth that was caused by the Martin-Baker Mk4, after the Mk6 ejection forces were significantly reduced. Most modern jets have a Mk16 variant
AdoringCHIN@reddit
So not really a myth, just outdated information?
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
True, but that information is 40 - 50 years out of date
javlarm8@reddit
42% in the Mk10 in this study alone.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24479262/
KnowledgeSafe3160@reddit
All the pilots in that study were flying again, so not career ending. And it also literally says the majority were simple compressions
javlarm8@reddit
I said possibly career ending.
Your comment made it seem like ejecting is no big deal. I would consider being grounded for half a year a huge life disruption.
And reading stories from pilots who have ejected it is often a major trauma even if no long term physical injuries are sustained.
I’ve flown with a guy who ejected out of a F-16. He had some mild physical discomfort 15 years after the fact. But whenever we spoke about it you realised that it was a pivotal emotional moment in his life. Changed the way he thought about risk etc.
DietCherrySoda@reddit
I'll bet they inhaled a good bit of toxic smoke
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
They still have an oxygen supply on ejection, so would have been okay until they got back on the ground. At that point, I don’t know, I hope they landed downwind
Tenzipper@reddit
Personally, I'd prefer to be upwind of that.
ohhhhhhitsbigbear@reddit
When the Demo Team reallllly gets into demonstrating all the capabilities.
Four chutes, hopefully no/minimal injuries.
CarminSanDiego@reddit
Glad they’re all ok but Why is there even a growler demo team? Growlers are just glorified/faster A-6
Bubbielub@reddit
Do you have confirmation they're ok or are you assuming because there are 4 chutes? We have friends on that demo team and we're trying to reach them or get any kind of confirmation they got a clean shot out and are indeed intact.
Kardinal@reddit
There are photos of the air crew walking around in the other thread on this sub.
So they're at least ambulatory which is a huge positive sign.
Obviously full medical review will be done at the hospital.
Bubbielub@reddit
Thanks for the info. We were able to get in touch with them.
Bright side, they just guaranteed their 100% rating when they retire/separate 😅
Kardinal@reddit
Glad to hear it. That's always the #1 priority. The people are okay.
Hope the injuries are very minor!
danit0ba94@reddit
How the heck do two hornets get locked up in a mating dance of death like this?
Blue_Etalon@reddit
Man we’re seeing a lot of destroyed hardware all the way around in aviation lately. Or is just me?
Kardinal@reddit
Just you.
Successful flights with no incidents don't make news.
oldfarmjoy@reddit
Were they trying to fly in close formation and bumped eachother?
Kardinal@reddit
Yup.
LivingHighAndWise@reddit
Those F18s?
Kardinal@reddit
EA-18G Growlers.
Based on F-18s
AirplanesMakeMeHard@reddit
I was an F-15 crew chief at MoHo. You can still see the scar from the thunderbird that crashed so many years ago. Crazy it happened again there.
MountainMan17@reddit
Hegseth's DoD is going through aircraft like Kleenex...
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Rip_Off_Your_Toenail@reddit
half a billion dollars, gone
AdoringCHIN@reddit
Because watching planes go fast and dry crazy maneuvers is cool. It's why stuff like F1 is so popular too in spite of the same risks
N546RV@reddit
It’s also a solid recruiting tool for the military. Go see fighters doing badass shit, decide you’re gonna join the Air Force, then let the recruiter talk you into enlisting because you have no idea that only officers fly planes. (Army CWOs notwithstanding)
Pepsi_Popcorn_n_Dots@reddit
Why are they using (presumably much more expensive and valuable) electronic-warfare growlers for air show stunts? Instead of regular F-18s?
Q400cactus@reddit
There's both a Growler and a Super Hornet demo team, and the airplanes are similar enough that I assume the Navy does that instead of running another Super Hornet team.
Incidentally, this was the first show of the season for the Growler demo team, and I'm assuming it's now the last.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
They bit off more than they could chew having the demo be a 2-ship. The rhino and lighting demos are a single jet just ripping maneuvers. That’s fundamentally less dangerous than having another plane out there. Yet I’m sure VAQ-129 treated the demo team exactly the same as 106/122/125 where it’s just a side job from regular instructor duties. That’s fine when it’s just one plane. Not here.
Independent_Leg7358@reddit
This video appears to show that they attempted to save the planes. Good job by the crew instead of just going for an immediate ejection.
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
That is not what happened at all. There was no controlling any of that once they hit. If they hesitated, it was because of “WOAH WHAT THE FUCK!?”
SeniorTailor1127@reddit
Shit that's like half a ballroom worth of equipment up in flames.
Mindless1970@reddit
Thank you Emily!
Tamashii-Azul@reddit
Shane Ogden*
Natural-Treat8380@reddit
Man the crew of that bottom growler is so lucky the top growler never covered the canopy
BigJellyfish1906@reddit
A couple more degrees to the right and they’re absolute goners.
NietzschesSyphilis@reddit
I honestly thought this was DCS when I saw this on another sub. I guess not though!!
Old-Library5546@reddit
Where was this?
JesusLexoNN@reddit
do you think they were having words as they were all coming down together in close proximity.
Redsoxdragon@reddit
When a mommy plane loves a daddy plane very much
Big_Jelly_Jambo@reddit
Folks most certainly got their money's worth today. Glad the pilots are okay. Amazing eject scene.
LPNTed@reddit
They ejected, and usually that’s good….but not always, and I haven’t read anything credible about the crew condition yet.
Kardinal@reddit
They've been seen walking. Saw pictures in the other thread.
General_Vp@reddit
It’s a free event. Even better
Big_Jelly_Jambo@reddit
Not today. A boatload of tax money just went up in flames.
FatHummingbird@reddit
Can someone confirm all crew members safe after the parachute landings? Neither video was long enough to see how far away from the fire they landed. Looks like they likely were inside the power lines but yikes. Hope they are all ok!
Kardinal@reddit
Yes. There are photos of them walking.
Heeeeyyouguuuuys@reddit
that's amazing. It looks like each airframe got entangled with each other.
bunbun8@reddit
ngl I thought these were 3D RC aircraft at first
lechiengrand@reddit
Same, seemed to defy physics for a second.
trendingtattler@reddit
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Fentron3000@reddit
That’s one way to earn your watch.
Kardinal@reddit
You have to pay for the watch.
But the tie is free
https://martin-baker.com/tie-club/
Fentron3000@reddit
Still need to bail out first.
SRM_Thornfoot@reddit
The 12:30 unscheduled Martin Baker demonstration was a resounding success.
MetaCalm@reddit
This clip shows how they the collision started:
https://idahonews.com/news/local/two-f-18-fighter-jets-have-crashed-during-an-airshow-at-mountain-home-air-force-base?primis_content=embed933e2etvwlyj
clingbat@reddit
Why are they wasting Growlers in air shows?
Kardinal@reddit
Guessing it's just a way to get them air time to maintain proficiency.
turboboraboy@reddit
I just saw that, it's wild they stuck together
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
They’re lucky there were no collisions whilst ejecting
Podalirius@reddit
Yeah, and considering the way they contacted, it's kind of a miracle the plane underneath was unobstructed for the ejection.
BlatantConservative@reddit
It actually looks like the chute of one pilot might have impacted the line of a different chute at one point. But obviously it was okay.
ThirdSunRising@reddit
Looks like everyone survived, and the crowd got the show they paid for and then some
graspedbythehusk@reddit
That. Is. Mental!
-BluBone-@reddit
Were they belly to belly or one on top of the other?
BeanAndBanoffeePie@reddit
Fingers crossed one of them had a gopro on, would be all time insane footage.
MetaCalm@reddit
Did the two F18 get stuck in each other?
Unnecessary-Shouting@reddit
This is how baby f18s are made
Affectionate_Cronut@reddit
Holy shit, 4 clean ejections is outstanding in that situation!
Look up, see daylight, pull handle, hope for the best!
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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aviation-ModTeam@reddit
This content was removed for breaking the r/aviation rules.
This subreddit is dedicated to aviation and the discussion of aviation, not politics and religion. For discussion of these subjects, please choose a more appropriate subreddit.
If you believe this was a mistake, please message the moderators through modmail. Thank you for participating in the r/aviation community.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
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aviation-ModTeam@reddit
Your post has been removed for breaking the r/aviation rules.
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aviation-ModTeam@reddit
This content was removed for breaking the r/aviation rules.
This subreddit is dedicated to aviation and the discussion of aviation, not politics and religion. For discussion of these subjects, please choose a more appropriate subreddit.
If you believe this was a mistake, please message the moderators through modmail. Thank you for participating in the r/aviation community.
gavriellloken@reddit
Hi all,
Weve turned the SBF flair on for this post as theres been some pretty tone deaf and as usual political comments. Please be respectful. If you dont know what the Seatbelts Fastened flair is please check out the sticky post.
If you dont have enough community karma your comment will be removed.
Darius2112@reddit
Really surprised to see such clean ejections considering how close the planes were to each other. Good to hear the pilots are ok.
blueangel78@reddit
Man, Mountain Home has the worst luck with Airshows.
theurbandragon@reddit
there something almost comedic about this shot, would of expected the two planes to just go boom, like in a movie.
glad the people are safe though.
Friendly-Profit-8590@reddit
So are they checking on each other on the way down or are there some harsh words and gestures being thrown around?
whimpers2@reddit
Ohhh come onnnnn dudes!!! Two Growlers lost at an airshow? Just dont hit each other ffs Navy was already only doing like 6 shows per demo team this entire season
professortarzan@reddit
I've just come home from watching Top Gun: Maverick (re-release on the big screen) and I feel so glad seeing 4 chutes.
Pale_Plenty_1913@reddit
What happened? It looks like a computer game glitch with 2 planes stuck together.
Grouchy-Macaron-1780@reddit
You talk about the perfect unlikely sequence of events.
Two jets coming together in such a way that they dont explode, and slowly enough in relation to each other that they just got wedged together.
A near perfect ejection, and just enough wind to blow the aircrew away from the firey crash below.
zeyn1111@reddit
So sad! Hope they’re ok 🙏
SloMoShun@reddit
Never seen two planes make four pilos.
Mawgac@reddit
4 safe ejections that close is amazing. Utterly amazing.
LordVixen@reddit
That was crazy
Aeson_Ford_F250@reddit
That is how dragonflies mate. Just sayin'
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
ASN Entry for the incident
Winbot4t2@reddit
That’s actually insane footage, damn.
The fact no damage to any of the chutes occurred is so lucky JFC.
failureat111N31st@reddit
I can't imagine the feelings they must have had seeing 1-2-3 good chutes (plus their own) and then the wreck unfold below them. "We're all alive but holy crap"
MMaister01@reddit
Now that was close formation flying!
Glad that the crew is ok.
Jolee5@reddit
Holy shit!
Pencil72Throwaway@reddit
WTFFFF was just there yesterday and it was a great show...especially the growlers. Guessing it happened during a reposition before another maneuver? Glad all 4 punched out but this sucks for both the Navy, MHAFB and all Sunday attendees.
This was the first show MHAFB had since 2018, and was also the same base as the 2003 Thunderbirds crash.
idostufandthingz@reddit
Really hope everyone is ok. Gotta wonder what is racing through their heads between punching and out and falling to the ground
Grizzwold37@reddit
“Gosh I hope we don’t all land in the massive fire our aircraft created when they made unplanned contact with the planet”
Longjumping_Rule_560@reddit
A synchronised ejection, that has to be a first right?
Tragic_Consequences@reddit
I bet they were all yelling at each other on the way down.
MoeSzyslakMonobrow@reddit
It looks like a bird mating ritual in the sky.
Wooden-Sprinkles7901@reddit
Theyre lucky they didnt land right on the burning plane wreckage.
Bradders59@reddit
Martin-Baker wins the day.
ParadoxumFilum@reddit
Doubles the number of Martin-Baker ejections this year
DullMind2023@reddit
Isn’t MHAFB where that B-52 crashed while preparing for an air show back in ‘94?
alienXcow@reddit
No, Bud Holland pancaked his BUFF in at Fairchild
bookdawgak@reddit
Damn, haven't heard BUFF in a minute!
Magooose@reddit
My high school freind was on that aircraft. It's always hard to watch.
DullMind2023@reddit
Ahh, my bad. Thanks.
Ok_Airline_9182@reddit
And the Thunderbirds in 03
camy__23@reddit
I would hate to have to explain that to the brass. Glad that everyone appears okay.
Bogsy_@reddit
Holy fucking shit. Glad to see those chutes.
hoppertn@reddit
So surreal, there was just another post on comedy a few weeks ago where the comedian was asking what this guy in the audience did and he said growler pilot (EWO really). Gave his callsign and I looked it up and he was actually on the Growler Display team this year!
EuphoricWorker9115@reddit
Wow! Four parachutes, good to see.
cloudhunting@reddit
Hope those parachutes landed well away from the burning inferno. So glad to see them eject.
planned_fun@reddit
Did the planes get fucking stuck together?!
zipper86@reddit
It's all about consent!
Tacomouse@reddit
My brain went back and forth between this being model craft footage or real. Insane, glad everyone looks safe
Jumpforittt@reddit
Holy shit this is one of the craziest videos I’ve ever seen
9G_Turn@reddit
Wow. Thought it was two RC planes mating/dancing together or a video game. Awesome to hear everyone is safe!
VR46_69@reddit
That was wild to see. It looks like dragon flies during mating season. 4 chutes is the most important thing right now.
OffloadComplete@reddit
Glad everyone got out. I was aircrew for the KC-10 static display at that air show years and years ago. Everyone was super nice! Got drunk and got a tattoo in someone's apartment as well.
Arkaid11@reddit
Bonkers footage. Video of the year
PapageorgiouMBO@reddit
Holy shit
legonutter@reddit
my words exactly.
gcracks96@reddit
Very windy in ID here today, wonder if that had an effect. Hope the pilots are okay.
pizzlepullerofkberg@reddit
Too much WarThunder
SandorMate@reddit
assuming everyone is ok, its such a cool video, theres barely any mid-air collisions out there, so its always interesting to see one.
IncredibleVelocity4@reddit
That looked expensive.
dltjapan@reddit
Aww, it's like the planes are kissing
1320Fastback@reddit
Looks like two snakes during their mating dance, they got all tangled up!
Invertedbuffalo@reddit
That hurt my brain. Glad they’re ok
flightwatcher45@reddit
Wow is that real! Insane. Very lucky they all got out.