Two Navy F/A-18s 'Swap Paint' But Recover and Land Safely

The need for precision in any formation, much less the tolerances demonstrated by a number of the world's finest military jet demonstration teams, is unquestioned.

On a highly anticipated combination formation flight series conducted with the USAF Thunderbirds, late Wednesday, two of the Blue Angels made glancing contact due to what is suspected to some unanticipated wake turbulence from the other jets.

Upon recovery in Pensacola, both jets received 'minor' maintenance and were quickly returned to service. Both pilots are also back in the active roster, as well, and were part of this past weekend's performances in Beaufort, SC. The incident occurred in close proximity to Pensacola Beach, out over the water, in trail behind the USA Thunderbirds.

It's been a tough year for both teams with the loss an F-16 due to what was reported as a throttle malfunction that caused a deadstick loss of an airframe (with a successful bailout on the part of the PIC), but an even more tragic loss that occurred within hours of the June 2nd, 2016 accident when a Blue Angel pilot, Marine Corps pilot Capt. Jeffery Kuss, went down in Smyrna, Tennessee and lost his life. The fatal accident occurred during a practice session due to what was determined to be, "...entering the first maneuver in a training run too fast and losing control of the aircraft."

FMI: www.blueangels.navy.mil, http://afthunderbirds.com