Blue Angels Crash Video: Cell Phone Footage Shows Horrifying Fireball As U.S. Navy Pilot Crashes In Tennessee
Video of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels plane crash has hit the internet, with the cell phone footage showing a giant fireball as the F/A-18 jet crashed during a practice run in Tennessee on Thursday.
The crash occurred at 3:01 p.m., shortly after the jet took off to start its practice run, officials from the Naval Air Forces noted. The plane crashed into a wooded area and erupted into flames, ultimately claiming the life of the pilot, Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss.
In the video of the Blue Angels crash, onlookers can be heard screaming and crying as the fireball rose into the air.
“We seen a Blue Angel come down real low behind the trees on the other side of Sam Davis and then boom. A big, big billow of fire came up,” said Belinda McGriff, whose granddaughter shot the video of the Blue Angels crash (via the Tennessean). “We could feel the heat off of it, we were that close.”
Kuss was flying apart from four other jets that were flying in formation, witnesses said. He was conducting a turning maneuver when the plane began to nose dive, crashing into the ground and bursting into flames.
Video of the Blue Angels crash can be seen below, but be warned that it may be disturbing for some viewers.
Some who lived as much as a mile away from the crash said it felt like a car crashed into their homes. Jennifer Elliott told the Tennessean that she was in her yard watching the practice and went inside just before the crash occurred. She said the crash and subsequent explosion were so loud that they shook her home.
The famous flying team was practicing in anticipation of an air show this weekend. The practices covered a wide area of the state, with planes flying to downtown Nashville and putting on a show for local residents who gathered to watch.
Other video and pictures of the Blue Angels crash can be seen in the news clip below. Witnesses said they could feel the explosion from a far distance and could smell the smoke that came pouring out after the crash.
In the day after the accident, many in the community have already come together to mourn Jeff Kuss, the 32-year-old husband and father of two.
Kuss had graduated from Fort Lewis College in 2006, serving in Afghanistan and joining the Blue Angels in 2014. Officials said he had flown more than 1,400 hours.
“It’s hard to put into words right now, but it’s beautiful that a person can live and die engaged in their life’s pursuits,” said his grandfather, Dolph Kuss (via the Tennessean). “This was his dream since he was a child, to be an aviator, a flier.”
“It’s hard to celebrate someone’s life in this way,” he said. “It is certainly a shock. Everything in life has its dangers, I guess.”
Days after a fatal accident, the Navy Blue Seals make a smart decision https://t.co/WVedqvM2Q0
— Rare (@Rare) June 8, 2016
VIDEO: Blue Angels flyover with body of Capt. Jeff Kuss returning to NAS Pensacola https://t.co/2R3aaihvcK pic.twitter.com/rylJS1qnhW
— FOX10News | WALA (@FOX10News) June 7, 2016
The U.S. Naval Forces also released a statement honoring Russ.
“The Navy is deeply saddened by the loss of this service member,” the statement read. “We extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the family of the pilot, and those he served with.”
Many Smyrna residents gathered for a candlelight vigil for Russ, with many holding miniature American flags.
The Blue Angels crash in Tennessee was not the only military plane to crash on Thursday. In Colorado, a U.S Air Force Thunderbird crashed near Peterson Air Force Base after a flyover during a graduation ceremony, the Tennessean noted. That pilot escaped without injury.
While video of the Blue Angels crash captured the immediate aftermath, authorities said they are still investigating what caused the crash itself.
[Photo by Gerry Broome/AP Images]
