Blue Angel's and Thunderbird Jets Crash

[mikewint]

The pilot of a US Navy Blue Angel F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was killed Thursday when the aircraft crashed in central Tennessee, a Navy official confirmed to Fox News..
The crash involving the jet happened after 3 p.m. southeast of Nashville in the town of Smyrna, a Rutherford County dispatcher told Fox 17.
La Vergne, Tenn. Fire Chief Rick McCormick told Fox News that the jet crashed off airport property just after takeoff.
He added that the jet did not crash into buildings off the runway.
Commander Jeannie Grenaveld, a spokeswoman for Naval Air Forces, told Fox News the crash happened during a practice flight for the Great Tennessee Airshow in Smyrna. The Blue Angels are performing June 4 and 5 at the airport.
Becca Cullision-Burgess told Fox 17 she was in her shop "My Southern Charm" when she saw the crash.
"I've never seen such a big ball or orange fire before," she said.
The Blue Angels flew over downtown Nashville earlier in the day.
Earlier Thursday, an Air Force Thunderbird jet crashed south of Colorado Springs, Colo. just after a flyover for a graduation of Air Force Academy cadets where President Obama had spoken.

 

[Airframes]

Sad news.

 

[Catch22]

Brutal.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

One of my co-worker's son flies F-16s. He knows the T Bird pilot Major Ajax "Tuna" Turner. Punched out, got picked up by a secret service helicopter and at the end of the day gets a handshake from the POTUS while still in his G suit. Badass!

 

[michaelmaltby]

sad day

 

[Wildcat]

Damn! Sad news indeed.

 

[Wayne Little]

 

[vikingBerserker]

That stinks.

 

[Gnomey]

Sad news indeed.

 

[gumbyk]

The initial report on the Thunderbird's aircraft has been released. F-16CM THUNDERBIRD ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RELEASED > Air Combat Command > Article Display

Seems there was a problem with a lock-out mechanism and he shut the engine down by mistake.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Just posted on the local news

 

[Robert Porter]

Always makes me shudder a bit when crashes occur.