RUTHERFORD

Smyrna Blue Angels fatal crash one of few in history; last in '07

Dave Boucher
dboucher@tennessean.com

Multiple sources confirmed there have been 26 fatal crashes by Blue Angels pilots before Thursday's crash in Smyrna. The last fatal crash was a 2007 incident in South Carolina, the Blue Angels confirmed.

In the 70 years the Blue Angels have performed their famous aerial acrobatics, they've performed shows for nearly half a billion fans, according to the Blue Angels website.

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A 2007 report from The Associated Press notes there had been 26 fatal crashes while an organization known as the Blue Angels Memorial Project reports 27 Blue Angels have died "in the line of duty." In a statement from the memorial, they noted that "not all those lost were pilots," potentially accounting for the discrepancy in numbers.

In the 2007 fatal crash, the pilot flew too low and tried to make a turn while traveling too fast, leading to the fatal crash, according to The Virginian-Pilot. At the time, the Virginian-Pilot cited Navy statistics that the team's aviators have major accidents at twice the rate of F/A-18 pilots flying in the fleet.

Before the 2007 crash, the last fatal crash was in 1999. A pilot and crewmember died while practicing for a show in Georgia, according to the AP.

The Blue Angels were created to educate the public on the aerial capabilities of the U.S. Navy, said Hill Goodspeed, historian at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla.

"I think what they demonstrate is the professionalism, the pride and professionalism, of naval aviation," Goodspeed said  Thursday afternoon.

The team dates to 1946, at the end of World War II. Butch Voris, the team's first squadron commander, shot down eight Japanese aircraft in World War II, Goodspeed told the Pensacola News Journal earlier this year.

The Blue Angels team typically consists of 16 officers who volunteer to join the team and serve for about two years.

Pilots are assigned a specific jet, with different duties for each person. The commander, known as the "boss," is selected by the Chief of Naval Air Training. The person must have at least 3,000 tactical jet flight hours and experience commanding a jet squadron, according to the team's website. That person flies the lead jet, called the No. 1 jet.

The No. 2 through No. 7 jets are also piloted by experts from the Navy or Marines, but these pilots are required to have 1,250 flight hours. The No. 8 pilot is known as the "event coordinator," is also a naval flight officer or weapons systems officer who has the same flight time requirements as the No. 2 through No. 7 jets.

The team has flown a variety of jets over the years. Originally the team used F6F Hellcats, F8F Bearcats and F9F Panthers, according to the team's website. The team first instituted the six-plane "delta formation" in the 1950s, shifting to F9F Cougars and F11F Tigers. By 1986, the team had transitioned to the jet it still uses today, the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.

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The jets come from the naval fleet after it's done using them, according to the team's website. The jets are then outfitted with modifications needed for the performances.

In addition to the jets, there's also a massive transport aircraft called a C-130T Hercules, called "Fat Albert" by the team, according to the team's website.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.