Navy Pilot Fatally Injured, USAF Aircraft Down And Fairly Intact After Reported Engine Failure

ANN Realtime Update 1715 EDT 06.02.16

A Blue Angels F/A-18 has gone down during a practice session in Smyrna, TN resulting in the fatal injury of the pilot of the aircraft.

The accident occurred on the same day that an Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 went down in Colorado (see below).

The Tennessean newspaper reports that a U.S. Navy spokesman confirmed that the plane went down shortly after takeoff from the Smyrna Airport and erupted in a fireball. The identity of the pilot has not been released.

The team had been scheduled to perform at the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna this weekend.

The other Blue Angels aircraft all landed safely. No other details are available at this time.

(Image posted to YouTube)

Original Story

OK... this has to be a really bad way to celebrate a graduation ceremony at the Air Force Academy -- as a member of the USAF Thunderbirds ejected from ThunderBird 6 following what was reported to be an engine failure of some sort -- and while the President was in attendance to celebrate graduation day.

The F-16 is down in a field not far from the academy and appears fairly intact, despite the fact that it was unmanned at ground contact. The aircraft is specifically reported to be Thunderbird #6, normally flown by Major Alex Turner. The Thunderbirds tweeted a series of messages confirming the accident, that occurred about 1300 local time in Colorado.

"A USAF Thunderbirds F-16 jet crashed near Peterson AFB today at approx. 1pm. The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by first responders."

No one on the ground was hurt and no hazard to the public was thought to remain, at this point.

The USAF Air Combat Command added (via twitter) that, "The pilot of the #6 jet ejected safely and is walking around unhurt. More details will be released as they become available."

The USAF Thunderbird info page notes that, "Major Alex Turner is the Opposing Solo Pilot for the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, flying the No. 6 jet. He earned his commission in 2005 as a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Air Force ROTC program. While studying Aeronautical Engineering he played ice hockey and raced in the school’s autocross club. He is also an avid guitar player, and enjoys snowboarding. Before joining the Thunderbirds, Major Turner served as an F-16 instructor pilot at Hill AFB, UT. He has logged over 1,200 flight hours as an Air Force pilot, with more than 270 combat hours over Libya and Iraq. Major Turner is in his first season with the team and hails from Chelmsford, MA."

ANN will update this report as more info becomes available.

FMI: http://afthunderbirds.com