In the third tragedy in a week, an elite navy pilot has crashed in South Carolina. The naval flight team was performing at an air show in Beaufort, South Carolina when the crash happened.
The F-18 jet crashed into a neighborhood. Authorities say debris was scattered for miles.
At least one home caught on fire. Eight other people were injured in the crash.
At this time, the Navy is not releasing the pilot's name. Officials will only say the cause of the crash is being investigated.
Wreckage was reportedly flying through the air seconds after the disaster and a lot of smoke began covering the surroundings, with eight people on the ground being injured. The extent of their injuries was not known.
"Our squadron, and the entire U.S. Navy, are grieving the loss of a great American, a great naval officer, and most of all, a great friend," Walley said at a nighttime news conference in Beaufort, South Carolina.
The F/A-18 "Hornet" is a single- and two-seat, twin engine, multi-mission fighter/attack aircraft that can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases. The F/A-18 fills a variety of roles: air superiority, fighter escort, suppression of enemy air defenses, reconnaissance, forward air control, close and deep air support, and day and night strike missions. Designed in the 1970s for service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, the Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations.
The recent crash in South Carolina is the second in less than 10 years that causes the death of a Blue Angel pilot. The last one occurred in 1999 when two elite pilots were killed when their F/A-18 jet crashed while trying to land during a training flight.
The United States Navy's Blue Angels (or Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron), formed in 1946, is the world's first officially sanctioned military aerial demonstration team.
The name and age of the dead pilot will not be released to the press for 24 h- a standard procedure which allows the Department of Defense to conduct internal investigations.
However, local media reported that the crashed Angel was flying aircraft No. 6, which was said to be piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis, 32, of Pittsfield, Mass. A Navy statement said the aviator had been on the team for two years- and it was his first as a demonstration pilot.
Lt. Cmdr Anthony Walley, who flies the No. 2 jet, confirmed that no other fighter planes were involved in the crash.
Raymond Voegeli, a plumber, was backing out of a driveway when the plane ripped through a grove of pine trees, dousing his truck in flames and debris. He said wreckage hit " "plenty of houses and mobile homes."
"It was just a big fireball coming at me," said Voegeli, 37. "It was just taking pine trees and just clipping them."
County Coroner Curt Copeland confirmed that there was a lot of debris at the crash site, which de described as horrific.
According to Washington Post, John Sauls, who lives near the crash site, said the F/A-18A Hornets were banking back and forth before one disappeared and a plume of smoke shot up.
"It's one of those surreal moments when you go, 'No, I didn't just see what I saw,' " Sauls said.
According to CNN, William Winn, Beaufort Country emergency management director, said the crash damaged several houses. Video of one home's interior showed broken furniture, strewn debris, and chunks of exposed insulation and drywall.
Saturday's show was at the beginning of the team's flight season, and more than 100,000 people were expected to attend. The elite team, which is based at Pensacola Naval Air Station, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. Officials announced that Sunday's scheduled air show will go on but that the Blue Angels will not take part.
The Blue Angels perform more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques in their aerial displays as in 1946. Since their inception, the "Blues" have flown for more than 427 million spectators worldwide. Since the Blue Angels often perform directly over major cities such as San Francisco and Seattle during maritime festivals such as Seafair, they are often better known in many cities than other demonstration teams.
In their entire history, 24 pilots from the group have been killed in air show or training accidents.
Sources: WRKG.com, Playful.com |
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