Idaho: A strange mid-air collision between two US Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft

The history of air accidents has a new chapter this Sunday, and a rather atypical one, judging by the images released.

EA-18G Growler, the US and Australian plane that fights in the electromagnetic spectrum
The stunning image of an EA-18G aircraft causing sparks to fly on an aircraft carrier

Two US Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft collided in mid-air during an air show at the Gunfighter Skies Air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The aircraft belonged to the Demo Team of Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) "Vikings." Photographer Shane Ogden recorded the video of this collision which is being shared on social media:

In the video, we see the two EA-18Gs locked together and seemingly suspended in the air during a maneuver in which both aircraft were flying very close to each other. After locking together, the four crew members managed to eject, as we can see in the images.

At 8:31 p.m. CET, Mountain Home Air Force Base Gunfighters announced on its Facebook page that the base was closed. At 8:57 p.m. CET, the same page reported the accident, which occurred two miles northwest of the base, and indicated that an investigation is underway.

According to @N214WN, the planes involved in the accident were 168895 "NJ-502" and 168252 "NJ-540". The VAQ-129, an EA-18G Growler crew training unit based at NAS Whidbey Island (in Island County, Washington), had a fleet of 55 such aircraft until now, according to its official website.

On April 1, @growlerairshowteam, the Instagram channel for this demonstration team, announced the names of its crews for this season. The team captain is Lieutenant Kevin "Lil Sebastian" Lynch, and the other crew members are Lieutenant Abigail "Wrecking Ball" White, Lieutenant Hardy "MyDal" Davis, and Lieutenant Nick "Alf" Eckhardt. At the moment there is still no information on the condition of the crew, but seeing the video, it is almost a miracle that they managed to eject without incident from two planes that were locked together.

+ UPDATED 11:36 PM: 10 minutes ago, Mountain Home Air Force Base Gunfighters has reported: "The aircrew involved in the incident are in stable condition. Thank you to all our guests for your patience and compassion, which has allowed us to quickly and safely respond to the incident."

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Main photo: U.S. Air Force. An EA-18G from VAQ-129.