A U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet and an Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 crashed Thursday in separate incidents in Tennessee and Colorado, officials s...
A U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet and an Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 crashed Thursday in separate incidents in Tennessee and Colorado, officials said. The F-16 crashed south of Colorado Springs, Colorado, after a U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony attended by President Barack Obama. A spokesman for the academy said the plane went down far from the stadium, and the pilot, a member of the Air Force's Thunderbirds demonstration team, safely ejected. Only the pilot was on board, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said. There were no reported casualties on the ground, though the plane was badly damaged, said Robb Lingley of the Peterson Air Force Base public affairs department. President Obama later met with the pilot when he visited the air force base. "The President thanked the pilot for his service to the country and expressed his relief that the pilot was not seriously injured. The President also thanked the first responders who acted quickly to tend to the pilot," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. Hours later, a U.S. Navy Blue Angels F/A-18 crashed in Smyrna, Tennessee, during practice for an upcoming air show, Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld said. SMYRNA — One person has been reported dead after a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet crashed following takeoff during a practice flight around 3 p.m. Thursday, officials said. Rutherford County Fire Chief Larry Farley said his dispatchers were told one person was killed. It is unclear if it was the pilot or a bystander. Steve Fiebing, deputy public affairs officer for the Naval Air Forces, said the jet crashed at 3:01 p.m. He would not release information on the condition of the pilot. He said the Naval Air Forces would investigate. The pilot has not been publicly identified. Witnesses said all other Blue Angels aircraft landed and were on the ground. The military flight demonstration unit was in Smyrna for the Great Tennessee Airshow on Saturday and Sunday. A fireball and thick black plume of smoke from the crash could be seen just beyond the runway at Smyrna Airport and from Interstate 24. Helicopters circled the area and first responders cordoned off nearby areas. Bright yellow police tape kept residents of the nearby Fairway Meadows Apartment complex, at 93 Weakley Lane, at a safe distance. Jennifer Elliott was in her yard watching the Blue Angels practice. She went inside just before the crash and said she felt the explosion at their house, which is about a mile from the Smyrna airport. ”It sounded like car crashed into my house,” she said. “Everything shook.” Minutes later, she said she could hear sirens and the other Blue Angels team were circling over the smoke. Rebecca Durand was in her car with her son Jordan when they saw the jet go down. Durand said she saw the nose of the jet come straight down. She thought it was a stunt. "Instead, I just saw this big orange explosion," she said. "Just like in the movies," Jordan Durand said. Less
