[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Just Damn.

[Restore]

I just saw two F-18’s in the Blue Angels’ colors fly overhead northbound at about 5000 msl. At the moment I’m in Indio, CA, aout 80 nm north of NAS El Centro, where the Angels are based.

[nuconvert]

Very sad

[MEG33]

RIP Blue Angels #6 LCDR Kevin Davis
May God comfort all who mourn.

[chessplayer]

The libs at HuffPo are having an orgasm over this and are using to this accident as another excuse to launch into an anti-military tirade.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Prayers for the victim. May he rest in peace.

[Cyman]

Prayers from the Angel’s winter home. They practice twice daily in our skies almost unnoticed except for their spring adios show.

[Uncle Meat]

I’ve been working in Beaufort all week.They were practicing for the event for this weekend.They sure were making a racket.I had a weird feeling something like this was going to happen.

[migjig]

I just saw the Blue Angels last weekend they were awesome, this is very sad, prayers for the great performers.

[radar101]

http://www.wtoctv.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=1382167&h1=Blue%20Angel%20Jet%20Crash&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=45133&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D6407682&rnd=11428426

[upchuck]

What a complete bummer!

Prayers for the pilot, the pilot's family and any on the ground injured or with property damage.

South Carolina Ping

Add me to the list. / Remove me from the list.

[two23]

I took these in 2005 at the Chattanooga Airshow. Prayers for the Team, their families and fans.

[balch3]

deferred maintenance from Congressional foot dragging?

[agent_delta]

Press release

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here’s the official U.S. Navy Release. Would suggest that people rely on official sources rather than unofficial reports or speculation as there will be plenty in the days and weeks to come. My thoughts and prayers go out the Blue Angels and family.

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=28989

Blue Angel Jet Crashes at Beaufort Air Show
Story Number: NNS070421-12
Release Date: 4/21/2007 7:51:00 PM

From Navy Office of Information

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) — An F/A-18A Hornet assigned to the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels) crashed during the final minutes of an air show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., at approximately 4 p.m. EDT, April 21.

The pilot did not survive.

The pilot of the jet was joining the Delta formation for the final maneuver of the aerial demonstration when the mishap occurred. It was his second year on the team, and first year as a demonstration pilot.

The other five Blue Angel jets were not involved in the incident and landed safely moments later.

The crash occurred approximately three miles outside the air station in the vicinity of Pine Grove Rd. and White Pine Rd. One civilian on the ground reported minor injuries and was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Some houses in the area received damage, the extent of which is unclear at this time.

The name of the pilot is being withheld pending the notification of the next-of-kin.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

---

[JCEccles]

My point is this: Pukin jumped down some poor guy's throat who dared to suggest that a pilot might, at grave risk to himself, deliberately steer a crippled aircraft away from crowds or built-up areas. If what Pukin is saying is that all military pilots have it drilled into them to punch out IMMEDIATELY and save their own skins when they realize they have lost control of the aircraft--to he** with crowds of women and children clustered in the crash zone, I'll have to defer to his superior knowledge of what military pilots are taught to do.

On the other hand, there innumerable reported instances of pilots staying with badly damaged aicraft and deliberately pointing the aircraft in a particular direction, perhaps sometimes even away from crowds. Sometimes these pilots even get their crippled aircraft down safely without ever punching out. I suppose it is possible that occasionally a pilot will misjudge how much conrol he still has, will stay with a crippled aircraft too long, and will ride it into the ground. It is very likely these instances that gave rise to the "urban myth" that pilots are taught to sacrifice their own lives to save the lives of innocent people below them. It's an entirely reasonable and innocent misunderstanding.

I will also say this: I was at an airshow at Hill Air Force, Utah, in the 1980s that resulted in the death of a Thunderbird pilot. The T-38 he was flying lost power at low altitude. Before the aircraft crashed it banked slightly toward an open field where there were no crowds. The pilot did not eject although a mishap investigation showed that the egress system was fully functional. He could have punched out in time, but did not.

Draw your own conclusions. Everyone at the airshow did. It wasn't the conclusion that Pukin Dog favors.

[VictoryGal]

Horrible news. Prayers up...

[devolve]

[TheBethsterNH]

This is too bad, watch airshows will be banned in SC like they did here in central NH when they had an air show accident years ago...sad, i miss the annual airshows.

[stainlessbanner]

Full throttle with the Blue Angels (AJC staffer turns blue)-April 2006 [FR]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1623407/posts

Looks like Kevin Davis was the pilot in this story, too.

[CGASMIA68]

Sorry Rick Sanchez sucks today and as he did in Miami years ago......Been listening to the Blue Angle accident thing for too long with out any mention of this pilot who was one of the Nav Air finest and all we hear of are the pore residents of this neiborhood.....The Navy lost a splendid pilot...Lets spam the crap out of CNN on this one.....