A small Midwestern village has become the unlikely site of a civil war involving military-grade aircraft and a mounting death toll.

Nestled between the banks of Idaho’s Palisades Reservoir and the snow-capped mountains of the Wyoming Range, the idyllic town of Alpine is home to just over 1,000 residents.

But the vast greenery of the surrounding Grand Teton National Park hides a tug-of-war between locals and wealthy aviation enthusiasts who are disrupting the tranquility – while putting lives at risk.

Alpine is home to a 5,850-foot airstrip straddling the Wyoming-Idaho border, which is attracting a growing number of wealthy Top Gun wannabes to the area.

Residents said the growth in air traffic had gotten out of control, leading to constant noise in the city as well as fatal accidents when people crashed.

A small Midwestern village has become the unlikely site of a civil war involving military-grade aircraft and a mounting death toll.

Nestled between the banks of Idaho’s Palisades Reservoir and the snow-capped mountains of the Wyoming Range, the idyllic town of Alpine is home to just over 1,000 residents.

Longtime Alpine resident Jay Goodrich described the questionable flying practices and jet flyovers as “a circus” in the skies above his otherwise idyllic hometown.

“As a private pilot myself, watching what they’re doing at the airport, I can’t believe the FAA isn’t there,” he said. Jackson Hole News and Guide.

“This is extreme wealth compared to the common man,” he added. “In rural Wyoming, do we really need fighter jets to take off so they can train? As a pilot, you want to stay alert.

“When I was flying, I was flying every day of the week, but I wasn’t flying a fighter jet. Do we need fighter jets in Alpine, Wyoming to say they don’t have to report to anyone?

Goodrich said the fly-in residential park was designed to accommodate single-engine planes flown by seasoned pilots — but it is now riddled with military-grade planes and private jets.

“We’ve been here three years and we knew the airstrip very well,” Matt Grant, who lives in Alpine Meadows next to the Airpark, told the News and Guide.

“Little did I know that on our first 4th of July the house would start shaking. It felt like a “Top Gun” movie.

“We have rules in our neighborhood from the Forest Service that say we’re not allowed to put up fences because of wildlife.

“I’m sure the Forest Service didn’t intend to have fighter jets flying over it. Looks like an episode of MASH right there.

Pictured: The moment a plane crashed into Alpine on July 4 this year, killing pilot Edan Shalev

Edan Shalev pictured with his GB1 GameBird plane. Shalev died July 4 after his plane plunged into the shallow waters of the Palisades Reservoir.

Residents of the Alps say recent accidents, like the one on July 4 this year, are the result of unhindered air traffic by amateurs.

Residents of the Alps say recent accidents, like the one on July 4 this year, are the result of unhindered air traffic by amateurs.

A Game Composites GB1 Gamebird plane, describe as a “race car for the sky”, plunged into the Palisades Reservoir on Independence Day, killing driver Edan Shalev.

Kevin Nettleton, who witnessed the horror crash and rushed to the downed plane in his boat looking for survivors, said the scene looked like something from “Mad Max”.

But he said recovery efforts were hampered by a Black Hawk helicopter that landed nearby to help – but ended up causing strong winds that threw water in all directions.

“I know he was trying to help, but it was hell. It still upsets me,” Nettleton told Jackson Hole News and Guide. “It came out of nowhere.”

Several other accidents have been documented in the area, including a horrific incident that killed parents David and Jessica Anderson, leaving their children orphaned.

The couple was killed in the Cessna crash that also claimed the lives of Thomas and Heidi Summers in March 2016, according to East Idaho News, which followed several other equally deadly incidents around the same time.

Residents also worry about the constant breathing of jet fuel, which has contaminated the air with a penetrating odor and caused potential pollution of the Palisades Reservoir.

The airstrip can be used by the public, but the Alpine Airpark board decides who can enter and exit the private development.

Residents wrote a letter of complaint to the airpark board, citing its own directives and Alpine Mayor Eric Green.

Airpark board chairman Raj Narayanan said accidents like the July 4 crash were outside the airport’s jurisdiction.

Pictured: Wreckage from an accident in Alpine, Wyoming in March 2016

Parents David and Jessica Anderson were killed in a Cessna crash near Alpine that also claimed the lives of Thomas and Heidi Summers in March 2016.

Thomas “Brook” Summers, 39, and Heidi Summers, 36, who, along with Jerry “David” Anderson, 40, and Jessica Anderson, 38, died in the crash north of Alpine, Wyoming, near Palisades Reservoir in March 2016.

Residents wrote a letter of complaint to the airpark’s board of directors, citing its own guidelines, as well as to Alpine Mayor Eric Green (pictured).

“One of the things we can do as an airpark is be proactive and establish procedures, policies and guidelines for members who land in the airpark or live there,” said Narayanan at News and Guide.

“We have very formalized and established procedures and guidelines for airpark members, and we ask all members to pass these on to their guests to ensure they are aware of the standard departure lanes, arrival corridors and performance limitation requirements that we have established to try to be neighborly and courteous to all of our residents within the community at large.

“What I would say is the airpark is definitely part of the Alpine ecosystem, but it’s not in the town of Alpine,” Mayor Green told the News and Guide.

“As mayor and city council, we have very little jurisdiction over what happens at the airport.

“Part of the problem is that there are a few people who don’t follow the rules, and that’s what causes the consternation.”