Mountain Home Air Force Base in southwestern Idaho was placed on lockdown on Sunday, May 17, after a plane crash at an air show, authorities said.
According to the base, the incident occurred on the second day of the Gunfighters Air Show, a free event open to the public featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The crash occurred about two miles northwest of Mountain Home Air Force Base, the base said in a statement.
On May 17 at approximately 12:57 p.m. local time, an aircraft accident occurred during the air show and emergency responders were on scene, the base announced. Earlier, the base announced in a statement that it had been placed on lockdown.
“The investigation is ongoing and more details will be released as they become available,” the base said in a statement posted on Facebook.
At approximately 1:18 p.m. local time, the Mountain Home Police Department alerted the public that events for the remainder of the day were officially canceled. Police advised the public not to travel to or attempt to access the base “as a spectator, as the event will no longer be held.”
The Idaho Statesman reported that rescue workers responded to a mid-air collision involving a performance by two E/A-18G “Vikings” Growler demo team aircraft at the air show. During the event, an air show announcer told the audience that all four Navy pilots had been “located safely,” the newspaper reported.
“The parachute made four successful descents,” an aviation program announcer said, according to a report in the Idaho Statesman. “The crew was able to eject, one mile south of where the smoke was coming from. A parachute came down.”
USA TODAY has reached out to Mountain Home Air Force Base for more information.
This is a developing story.
