Navy Blue Angels fighter jet pilot dies in airshow training exercise crash just hours after Thunderbirds F-16 crashed at Air Force Academy graduation

• Blue Angels fighter jet crashed around 3pm on Thursday afternoon
• The pilot of the plane, who has not been identified yet, died in the crash
• The Blue Angels were practicing for a show on Saturday and Sunday
• Member of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds crashed in Colorado Thursday
• That pilot ejected safely from his jet into a nearby field

A Blue Angels F/A-18 fighter jet pilot did not eject and likely was killed when the aircraft crashed Thursday near Nashville, Tennessee, the Navy has confirmed.

Captain Jeff Kuss, a father of two young children, from Durango, Colorado, was the pilot killed in the accident, his family confirmed to News Channel 5.

Kuss joined the Blue Angels in 2014 and had accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours and 175 carrier-arrested landings.

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A Blue Angels F/A-18 fighter jet pilot is dead following a crash (pictured) on Thursday near Nashville, Tennessee

The pilot has been identified as Captain Jeff Kuss (pictured), who joined the Blue Angels in 2014, and was the father of two young children

Kuss’s family confirmed the decorated pilot (pictured) died in the fiery crash to News Channel 5 on Thursday

This May 19, 2016, photo shows Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss at an air show in Lynchburg, Virginia, just days before he died

The Navy says Kuss (pictured, right) was beginning to take off during an afternoon practice session when the crash happened

After a 2007 Blue Angels crash in South Carolina, Kuss was interviewed about flight safety.

‘We do what’s called like a crawl, walk, run mentality where we start out very basic levels and it progresses and progresses until eventually it’s a flight demonstration in the form of an air show that you can deliver as a safe, homogeneous product all over the country.

‘It’s all going to be relatively similar,’ said Kuss.

The Navy says Kuss was beginning to take off during an afternoon practice session when the crash happened.

After a 2007 Blue Angels crash in South Carolina, Kuss was interviewed about flight safety and knew procedure

The Blue Angels flight demonstration unit was practicing in Smyrna, Tennessee, for the Great Tennessee Airshow (STOCK IMAGE)

Witnesses to the crash said the impact was so loud it sounded like the jet crashed into their house and ‘shook everything’ (STOCK IMAGE)

The Blue Angels flight demonstration unit was practicing in Smyrna, Tennessee, for the Great Tennessee Airshow on Saturday and Sunday.

Five other jets landed safely, but pictures show the one that nose-dived set off a giant black plume as it collided with the earth.

‘My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the Blue Angels after this tragic loss. I know that the Navy and Marine Corps Team is with me.

This is the second fighter jet crash of the day for the military’s elite fighter jet performance teams. In this image Smyrna police direct traffic near the crash site of a F/A-18 jet from the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels squadron

Roads were closed off following the fatal crash that killed Captain Kuss on Thursday as he practiced for a show this weekend

‘We will investigate this accident fully and do all we can to prevent similar incidents in the future,’ Admiral John Richardson, the Navy’s top officer, said in a Facebook post.

This is the second fighter jet crash of the day for the military’s elite fighter jet performance teams.

A member of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds crashed in Colorado following a flyover for the Air Force Academy graduation where President Barack Obama spoke.

That pilot ejected safely into a field.

A helicopter flies over the crash site of Captain Kuss’s F/A-18 jet on Thursday

At least three helicopters circled the site as responders on the ground made their way to the scene

People near the Blue Angels crash site told The Tennessean newspaper that they heard a huge explosion and saw the massive plume of smoke when the plane went down.

Helicopters circled the area and first responders cordoned off nearby areas .

Jennifer Elliott, who had been watching the jets practice before going inside her house, said everything shook.

‘It sounded like car crashed into my house. Everything shook’ she told the Tennessean.

An emergency vehicle leaves the crash site

Rebecca Durand told the newspaper she thought the jet was performing a stunt when she saw its nose come straight down.

‘Instead, I just saw this big orange explosion,’ she said.

Retired teacher Brenda Lewis and her 21-year-old grandson had spent much of the day in her back yard near the airport watching the Blue Angels fly overhead.

She’s seen them many times before.

Rebecca Durand told the Tennessean she thought the jet was performing a stunt when she saw its nose come straight down and exploded

‘We will investigate this accident fully and do all we can to prevent similar incidents in the future,’ Admiral John Richardson, the Navy’s top officer, said

‘But this afternoon, something made me really want to watch them,’ she said. ‘They looked like they were having such a good time playing up there.’

She went inside to bake a chocolate pie when she heard a loud boom.

She didn’t think too much of it at first because the airport is just on the other side of her tree line and she’s used to loud noises.

Then she heard sirens and went around the corner.

She saw the smoke rising and police cars arriving. She went inside because she didn’t want to see any more.

Retired teacher Brenda Lewis and her 21-year-old grandson spent the day watching the team practice and knew something was wrong when they heard sirens (STOCK IMAGE)

‘I’m always so fascinated by them, the anticipation of it all,’ she said of their airshow. ‘Then something tragic like this happens. My heart is just broken.’

A Blue Angels crash reported in 2007 in South Carolina is the last accident reported from the Navy group.

The pilot in the crash flew too low and tried to make a turn while traveling too fast.

The Associated Press reported that crash in 2007 was the 26th fatality the Blue Angels experienced.

The fatality on Thursday would mark the 27th death, it is believed.

According to media reports the last fatal Blue Angels crash was in 2007, which would make this the 27th fatality in its history (STOCK IMAGE)

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Source:

• Navy: Pilot of Blue Angel jet died in Smyrna crash
• Mark King on Twitter: “@NC5_JKnutson @NC5 https://t.co/fhLTl9LpZd”
• Pilot Killed In Blue Angels Plane Crash – Story

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