Two EA-18 fighter jets collide at Mountain Home airshow, pilots ejected safely
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头条报道聚焦一起空中相撞事故：2026 年 5 月 17 日周日在爱达荷州 Mountain Home 空军基地举行的 Gunfighter Skies 航空展上，两架美国海军 EA-18G Growler 在空中相撞。两机共四名机组人员全部安全弹射并打开降落伞，飞机在基地附近撞击地面后起火爆炸。基地位于 Boise 以南约 50 英里，军事人员和现场观众均未受伤。
事故涉及来自 Whidbey Island 的 Electronic Attack Squadron 129 的两架飞机，事发时正在进行空中表演。观众 Shane Odgen 拍到的视频显示，两机发生接触后同步旋转，机组人员弹射并打开降落伞，随后飞机一同坠落并在撞击时爆炸。事故发生后基地被封锁，Idaho Transportation 关闭了从 Simco Road 到基地附近 SH-67 的 SH-167 公路，预计在调查期间将关闭数日。
366th Fighter Wing 联队指挥官 Col. David Gunter 对所有人员安然无恙表示感谢，并赞扬包括市县部门在内的应急队伍迅速响应。协助筹办航空展的志愿组织 Silver Wings of Idaho 发表声明，称当天情绪沉重但对四名飞行员生还感到宽慰，并对来自多机构的执法、消防、急救及其他应急人员展现出的专业与协作表示肯定。
Gunfighter Skies 是 Mountain Home 自 2018 年以来首次举办的航空展；2018 年一名滑翔伞运动员在表演中遇难。航空展行业一直在努力提升约 200 场年均活动的安全标准。 International Council of Air Shows 总裁兼首席执行官 John Cudahy 指出，过去美国航空展平均每年约有两人遇难，但过去十年这一数字已降至接近每年一人，2024 年和 2025 年均无航展致死记录。最近一次致命事故发生于 2022 年，两架老式军机在达拉斯一场活动中相撞，造成六人死亡。
National Weather Service 表示，坠机时能见度良好，阵风最高约 29 英里 / 小时。 U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds 在为期两天的活动中担任压轴表演，组织者将此次活动定位为对航空历史的庆祝与现代军事能力的展示。
The main story covers a mid-air collision between two U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler fighter jets during the Gunfighter Skies Airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho on Sunday, May 17, 2026. All four crew members from both aircraft safely ejected and deployed parachutes before the planes crashed and exploded into a fireball upon impact near the base, located about 50 miles south of Boise. No injuries were reported among personnel at the military base or spectators at the event.
The collision involved two jets from Electronic Attack Squadron 129 based in Whidbey Island, Washington, which were performing an aerial demonstration at the time of the incident. Spectator Shane Odgen captured video showing the two aircraft making contact, spinning in tandem as the crew members ejected, and their parachutes opening before the planes fell together and exploded on impact. The base was locked down following the crash, and Idaho Transportation closed SH-167 from Simco Road to SH-67 near the base, with the closure anticipated to last multiple days during the investigation.
Col. David Gunter, Wing Commander of the 366th Fighter Wing, expressed gratitude that everyone involved was safe and praised the quick response from emergency teams including city and county agencies. Silver Wings of Idaho, the volunteer organization that helped plan the airshow alongside the base, released a statement acknowledging the emotional difficulty of the day while emphasizing relief that all four pilots survived. The organization recognized the outstanding professionalism and teamwork shown by law enforcement, fire, EMS, and other emergency personnel from multiple agencies who responded to the situation.
The Gunfighter Skies event was the first airshow at Mountain Home Air Force Base since 2018, when a hang glider died during a performance. The air show industry has been working to improve safety at the roughly 200 events held annually across the United States. John Cudahy, president and CEO of the International Council of Air Shows, noted that while there used to be an average of about two deaths per year at U.S. air shows, the average has dropped to closer to one death per year over the past decade, with no air show deaths recorded in 2024 or 2025. The last fatal crash occurred in 2022 when two vintage military planes collided at an event in Dallas, killing six people.
The National Weather Service reported good visibility and winds gusting up to 29 mph around the time of the crash. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron had headlined the show both days of the event, which organizers described as a celebration of aviation history and a showcase of modern military capabilities.
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• 使用专业的 EA-18G Growler 电子作战飞机参加飞行表演引发质疑，理由是它们比普通的 F-18 更稀有、更昂贵，但对观众来说外观几乎相同。不过，这些 Growler 的大部分电子战设备是可拆卸的吊舱，而且它们的成本并不比常规 F-18 贵出太多。
• 军方拥有数千架飞机，按历史事故率估算，每年大约会损失 25 架左右，因此"零损失"并非现实目标。飞行员需要定期飞行以保持资格，而航展中的机动通常并不比日常训练更激烈。
• 紧密编队飞行属于加油、护航等基本作战技能的一部分，因此在航展上进行此类飞行也有实际训练价值，超越单纯的娱乐用途。训练飞行与航展飞行之间的风险差异可能没有想象中那么大。
• 航展承担多重功能：招募新兵、对军事开支进行公共关系、向潜在对手展示能力、提升民众士气与信心，以及为飞行员提供向公众展示技能的机会。 "Blue Angels" 和 "Thunderbirds" 并非唯一的表演队，他们也无法参加所有活动。
• EA-18G Growler 是双座飞机，即使在航展表演时有副驾驶也更安全。 Growler 表演队通常以通场飞行为主，而非复杂的编队特技；即便 "Blue Angels" 或 "Thunderbirds" 同场，他们也会定期进行表演。
• 碰撞多发生在重新调整位置时，而非在刻意执行高难度动作时。飞机接触后可能因气动原因互相卡住，例如一架的垂直尾翼卡入另一架机身。飞行员在决定弹射前，常常会先观察是否能自行脱离。
• 得益于 Martin-Baker 弹射座椅，四名机组人员均成功弹射——尽管在低空碰撞后弹射极其危险。弹射往往意味着职业生涯结束，因为剧烈的 g 力常会导致压缩性骨折和永久性身高损失。
• EA-18G Growler 预计将服役到 2030 年代初，作为在第六代平台到来前填补能力缺口的关键资产。像 F-35 这样的第五代平台目前尚不能完全替代 Growler 在电子战方面的专业能力。
• 有人认为航展本身很酷，人类天生愿意展示令人印象深刻的成就；无论严格的投资回报率如何，这种"酷"本身就是有效的手段。另一些人则认为招募和地缘政治信号是航展的主要目的，而"酷"只是实现这些目标的工具。
• Ramstein 航展的灾难提醒人们航展确有风险，尽管此类事件极为罕见。自那场近四十年前的悲剧以来，安全措施已经显著加强。
讨论中呈现出两种张力：一方面有人认为用昂贵的装备和训练有素的人员去参加航展是不必要的风险，另一方面有人强调航展在招募、训练和公众参与方面的重要作用。普遍观点认为 EA-18G 是一项专业资产，用它参加航展看上去似乎有些冒险，因为对观众而言常规 F-18 与之无异；但辩护者指出电子战吊舱是可拆卸的，且这些飞机并不显著更昂贵。四名机组人员在低空碰撞后安全弹射的结果，广受赞扬，人们也认可他们的训练和 Martin-Baker 座椅在关键时刻挽救了生命。围绕航展的争论，本质上是一场哲学分歧：有人要求活动通过可量化的 ROI 证明其合理性，另一些人则认为像航展这样的展示满足更深层次的人类与制度需求，不应仅以简单的成本效益分析来评判。 • Using specialized EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft for air shows is questioned since they are rarer and more expensive than standard F-18s, yet look identical to spectators. However, much of their EW equipment is pod-mounted and removable, and they are not significantly more expensive than regular F-18s.
• The military operates thousands of airframes and expects to lose about 25 per year to various mishaps, so the optimal loss rate is not zero. Pilots need to fly regularly to maintain their ratings, and air show maneuvers are often less intense than routine training.
• Close formation flying is a fundamental combat skill needed for refueling and escorting other aircraft, so practicing it at air shows has training value beyond entertainment. The risk difference between training flights and air show flights may be smaller than assumed.
• Air shows serve multiple purposes: recruitment, public relations for military spending, demonstrating capabilities to potential adversaries, boosting civilian morale and confidence, and providing pilots a chance to showcase their skills to the public. The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are not the only display teams, and they cannot attend every event.
• The EA-18G Growler is a two-crew aircraft, and it is safer to fly with a backseater even at air shows. The Growler display team performs fly-bys rather than formation aerobatics, and they regularly perform even when the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds are also present.
• The collision appears to have occurred during repositioning, not during a deliberate maneuver. The aircraft may have become aerodynamically stuck together after contact, with the vertical stabilizer of one lodged into the fuselage of the other. The pilots likely waited to see if they would separate before ejecting.
• All four crew members ejected safely thanks to Martin-Baker ejection seats, though ejection at low altitude after a collision is extremely hazardous. Ejection is often a career-ending event due to the severe g-forces involved, which commonly cause compression fractures and permanent height loss.
• The EA-18G Growler is expected to remain in service until the early 2030s, filling a capability gap until 6th generation platforms arrive. The 5th generation platforms like the F-35 cannot yet fully replace the electronic warfare capabilities of the Growler.
• Some argue that air shows are simply cool and that humans naturally want to showcase impressive achievements, regardless of strict ROI calculations. Others counter that recruitment and geopolitical signaling are the primary reasons, with "being cool" serving as the mechanism that makes those goals effective.
• The Ramstein air show disaster is cited as a reminder that air show risks are real, though such events are rare. Safety measures have been tightened significantly since that tragedy nearly forty years ago.
The discussion reveals a tension between those who see air shows as an unjustifiable risk to expensive equipment and trained personnel, and those who view them as serving important recruitment, training, and public engagement functions. There is broad agreement that the EA-18G is a specialized asset that seems unnecessarily risky to use for air shows when regular F-18s would look identical to spectators, though defenders note the EW pods are removable and the aircraft are not dramatically more expensive. The safe ejection of all four crew members is widely praised, with recognition that their training and Martin-Baker seats saved their lives in an extremely low-altitude collision scenario. Underlying the debate is a philosophical divide between those who believe activities must justify themselves through measurable ROI and those who argue that spectacles like air shows serve deeper human and institutional needs that resist simple cost-benefit analysis.