E/A18 crash at airshow Mountain Home AFB

Watching the longer whole video, it appears dash-2 got high and lost sight of lead under the nose, impacting the lead jet while fishing around to find them. With two sets of eyes in each jet, kind of difficult to understand how, unless there was some kind of important distraction, which I can’t see what there would be. If there was something important enough that needed attention, then break out of formation to do so. Be curious how the lost sight happened.
 
Looked like the two jets physically got stuck together all the way to the ground, if that’s not an optical illusion. Incredibly lucky that the canopies weren’t on top of each other and all four got out, and nobody collided during ejection. I’m also hoping our former (or still in reserves?) resident Growler jammer is ok.
 
Looked like the two jets physically got stuck together all the way to the ground, if that’s not an optical illusion. Incredibly lucky that the canopies weren’t on top of each other and all four got out, and nobody collided during ejection. I’m also hoping our former (or still in reserves?) resident Growler jammer is ok.

Were active duty birds from the RAG training squadron, i believe. He’s a reservist.
 
I think it is real footage. The mishap/midair really did happen this morning.
Watching the longer whole video, it appears dash-2 got high and lost sight of lead under the nose, impacting the lead jet while fishing around to find them. With two sets of eyes in each jet, kind of difficult to understand how, unless there was some kind of important distraction, which I can’t see what there would be. If there was something important enough that needed attention, then break out of formation to do so. Be curious how the lost sight happened.

Because of the LEX's, which are especially large in the EF and G (compared to A-D), it is hard to see something directly under your belly. Not gonna speculate here, but to your point above, neither person in a hypothetically high/above jet would be able to physically see the one hypothetically stacked right below it. Again, hypothetically speaking.
 
What’s the logic behind sending a high demand / low density asset to an airshow to do an aerial performance, in formation? Ok, send one for static display; but these aren’t regular Super Hornets, of which the USN has many. Growlers are specialized and are comparatively much fewer in inventory, than regular Super Hornets. Not sure the logic behind risking them in this way with airshow-type ops.
One consolation, they left their pods at home.
 
Looked like the two jets physically got stuck together all the way to the ground, if that’s not an optical illusion. Incredibly lucky that the canopies weren’t on top of each other and all four got out, and nobody collided during ejection. I’m also hoping our former (or still in reserves?) resident Growler jammer is ok.
like cats on a fence
 
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I wonder if the back-seaters were public relations ridealongs, goofball "influencers" or reporters from the local news station.
 
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