Blue Angel crashes, pilot ejects ok.

[Fly Navy]

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/st/1201_planedown.shtml

UPDATED WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2004, 4:54 p.m.
Blue Angels jet crashes in Gulf

From staff reports

One of the beloved Blue Angels, the Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near Perdido Key today, but the pilot survived.

The F/A-18 Hornet went down in the gulf at approximately 2:45 p.m., during a routine training mission, according to Chief Victor Brabble, a spokesman for the Blue Angels. He said the pilot ejected from the jet before the crash and was located by rescue teams.

The pilot appears to be in good condition but is still being evaluated, Brabble said. The pilot’s name has not yet been released.

The crash site is about six miles off-shore, near the Flora-Bama Lounge, about 10 miles from Pensacola Naval Air Station.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, Brabble said. He could not release whether the jet had been recovered.

The team, which welcomed two new pilots and four new support staff in July, typically trains in California during the winter months.

In October 1999, two Blue Angels pilots were killed when their jet crashed in south Georgia during a pre-air show practice flight.

 

[Flash]

Maybe the Bama could use some of the debris to rebuild.......

I am glad the pilot is okay.

 

[wusappenin]

i was in the run-up area today when that happened. we were waiting to call tower when they shut the runway and we saw all the emergency vehicles start driving towards the runways. pretty crazy. heard the whole thing over the comms while sitting there.

 

[peanut3479]

I was out in area 2 today when this happened - someone mentioned an ejection over the area common freq., but nobody had heard anything about it at the squardon when we got back around 1530 or so. Thanks for posting this so quickly.

 

[nittany03]

Wow. I was standing SDO and I didn't hear anything. Just a thought, remember this is a public forum, and the usual guidelines for mishaps apply . . .

 

[Fly Navy]

I know some of the details, from someone at NASP. I won't post them publicly. Just glad the pilot is ok.

 

[trongod46]

An investigation determined that a rib injury might have prevented Lt. Cmdr. Kieron O'Connor from tensing his abdominal muscles to avoid blacking out during a turn that exerts a high gravitational pull.

How did they get to that conclusion already if this just happened?

 

[Penguin]

The last sentence of the article is referring to the previous Blue Angels crash in Georgia in 1999, I believe. The recent flight was a two ship, both pilots solo, and he did eject safely.

 

[Skidtz]

Whoa. I heard a blurb on the radio this morning, but this is the first written info I've seen. I was ODB 1400 yesterday, so missed all the hub-bub. Glad the guy's okay.

On a somewhat tangential note - is it disturbing that the primary Pensacola Newspaper uses the Florabama Lounge Package Store and Oyster Bar and Grill as a ground reference?

-s-

 

[Pitz]

Blue Angel Pilots Manual

I hanen't heard yet what they were doing prior to the ejection.

 

[jg5343]

You know what I always say, "Fly Navy, Divers need the work"

When are we going after the plane?

 

[jg5343]

BTW - just being funy, not trying to ruffle any feathers.

 

[Punk]

look likes someone is trying to peddle their stuff on the forum

Peachtree City, eh? that's where I went to high school

 

[Fly Navy]

look likes someone is trying to peddle their stuff on the forum

No kidding.

 

[Blacky]

Heard it was a bird strike. Nothing official yet, obviously, but it wouldn't surprise me. Stupid seagulls!