Kuss, a U.S. Navy Blue Angel pilot, crashed shortly after takeoff during a practice run Thursday in preparation for the Great Tennessee Air Show.
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Kuss’ jet crashed Thursday afternoon while practicing for an air show outside of Nashville, Tennessee.
Mourners line Sam Ridley Parkway Saturday as the hearse takes Blue Angel Marine Captain James “Jeff” Kuss to the Smyrna-Rutherford County Airport.
Five other jets which made up the Blue Angels team landed safely moments after the crash.
He choked back tears and said he was struggling to gather his thoughts. “It is certainly a shock”.
Witnesses on the ground in Smyrna, Tennessee, proclaimed Kuss a hero, suggesting that he did not eject from his malfunctioning F/A-18 fighter jet in order to steer it from residences on the ground.
Thursday’s crash was the first for the Blue Angels since April 2007, when Lt. Cmdr. “The Blue Angels will not participate in the air show this weekend”.
“The number one factor is safety but I think everyone on the team know there is an inherent risk”, explains Hancock.
Barry’s flight included numerous demonstration maneuvers that Blue Angels fans know from airshows, including flying upside down and barrel rolls. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, fellow Marines and Blue Angels teammates”. Kuss has a wife and two children.
“He was so easy to talk to, like I had known him for a long time”, Barry said. That pilot ejected safely.
The Blue Angels had been scheduled to perform around 3 p.m. each day of the Syracuse show.
To qualify for the Blue Angels, one must be a career-oriented Navy or Marine Corps jet pilot with an aircraft carrier qualification and a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet flight hours. She said the crash and subsequent explosion were so loud that they shook her home. “We hope you’re ready to see Blues in the sky, Nashville”, the team posted. Laura told 22News she was heartbroken over Kuss’ death. He had noticed the jets practicing near the airport.
“He was so kind, so good to all of us”, Willard said. “And it looked like he was on his belly going down, and that’s the end of it”.
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Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
