'Total Waste Of Money': Netizens Condemn Air Shows After $134M US Navy Jet Collision At Gunfighter Skies

A dramatic mid-air collision between two US Navy fighter jets during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show on Sunday afternoon has ignited a fierce public backlash, with taxpayers openly condemning the financial toll of military flight demonstrations.

The high-stakes accident, which unfolded in full view of thousands of spectators at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, resulted in the total destruction of two elite aircraft valued at a combined $134 million (£104 million). The shocking footage quickly went viral, prompting immediate questions over the necessity and safety of such public events.

Mid-Air Collision At Gunfighter Skies Air Show

The incident occurred at approximately 12:10 pm local time on 17 May 2026, during a low-speed aerial demonstration on the final day of the weekend event. The two aircraft involved were identified as sophisticated EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets assigned to the Navy's Growler Airshow Team, based at Electronic Attack Squadron 129 on Whidbey Island, Washington.

Spectator footage uploaded to social media platforms captured the terrifying moment. The two jets came into contact during a close-formation manoeuvre, briefly locking together before stalling and spinning out of control.

As the entangled airframes plummeted toward the earth, four distinct parachutes ejected less than five seconds before the aircraft struck the ground two miles northwest of the base perimeter.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti observed that the aircraft appeared to stick to each other, giving the pilots a critical window to pull their ejection handles. 'It appears to be a pilot issue to me,' Guzzetti told CBC.

'It doesn't look like it was a mechanical malfunction. Rendezvousing with another airplane in formation flight is challenging, and it has to be done just right to prevent exactly this kind of thing.'

Four Crew Members are Safe

All crew members aboard the aircraft managed to eject and parachute to safety before the jets erupted into a fireball in the desert. As reported by USA Today, an official statement from Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet, confirmed that the aircrew escaped without major injuries.

'All four of the aircrew successfully ejected, and they are being evaluated by medical personnel,' Umayam said, with base officials later confirming that the aviators remained in stable condition.

Aviation safety experts noted that the survival of both crews in a mid-air collision is an exceptionally rare outcome, made possible largely by the unusual angle of impact.

Netizens Condemn Airshows

Following the terrifying incident, online commentators raised serious questions about the safety of such public spectacles, with many noting that the exhibition was a 'total waste of money.'

Prior to the disaster, the popular airshow was intended to celebrate aviation history and showcase modern military capabilities, featuring flying demonstrations and parachute jumps, according to event organisers as reported by CBS News.

However, each fighter jet costs approximately $67 million (£52 million), meaning the dual-airframe destruction represents an immediate hull loss of roughly $134 million (£104 million). This significant figure does not account for the highly classified electronic warfare suites mounted inside the specialised variants.

Critics quickly condemned the practice of risking highly expensive, combat-ready military assets for regional entertainment. One online post read:

'Doing these air shows for events is a total waste of money and a huge risk not worth taking. And the stadium flyovers?? Don't even get me started. One day a plane will crash in a stadium and kill 100's of people all for a 10-second useless moment of a plane fly by.'

Another commentator echoed this sentiment, targeting broader economic implications: 'They gotta quit with these air shows. We're 40 trillion in debt, starting wars and fighting proxy wars, homeless zombies on the streets, billions in taxpayer money fraud... AINT NOBODY GOT TIME OR MONEY FOR THIS SH*T.'

A formal military investigation into the precise cause of the flight failure is currently underway.