U.S. Navy officials said all six Blue Angels aircrafts were practicing for an air show when the F/A 18-hornet Blue Angels aircraft crashed shortly after take off.
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The Navy Blue Angels pilot killed in a crash outside of Nashville Thursday afternoon is a native of Durango, Colorado and graduated from Durango High School and Fort Lewis College.
“Our hearts are deeply saddened by today’s tragic and devastating accident”, said John Black, executive director of the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport. A photo from Thursday morning showed the Blue Angels flying in formation over nearby Nashville.
Several witnesses say it appears Kuss stayed in the plane so he could steer it away from homes.
Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michal Kloeffler-Howard said Thursday the pilot ejected. “The handful of us that are on the team represent the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and really the military as a whole”, said Kuss.
“It sounded like auto crashed into my house”, she said. He told students, “Whatever you want to do, we’re here to encourage you to do that”.
Earlier Thursday a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird F-16 crashed after a low-altitude flyover of the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremonies at the Colorado Springs facility.
The crash occurred about two miles from an airport runway while the Blue Angels were practising for a weekend air show, the navy said, adding that the cause of the crash was being investigated.
The Blue Angels were scheduled to perform at an airshow in Smyrna this weekend. He has flown in 22 shows so far, Hammond said.
Reports of Blue Angels jet crashes in Smyrna.
There are no details yet on whether the pilot was injured in the crash.
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In order to become a specific type of Blue Angel’s pilot, Navy and Marine pilots must have aircraft carrier qualifications and a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet-flight hours, according the team’s website. The $36 million jet, which came to rest in a field, looked largely intact from the air despite not having a pilot guiding it.
