...still waiting for at least a formal summary of the U.S. Navy official investigation report, but sounds like the Navy did fault the pilot for an overly aggressive rejoin maneuver -- as well as failing to perform the proper anti-G grunt actions.
More 3rd-hand news report indicate the mishap pilot did not lose consciousness -- but became "disoriented" (??)
What was the actual 'primary' cause of the mishap ?
I was unaware the Blue Angels had previously lost 2 members in 1999 to a G-force related crash.
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NAVY TIMES (U.S.) Wednesday Jan 16, 2008:
A crash that killed a Blue Angels pilot during an air show April 21 was caused by a Navy pilot making a sharper-than-normal turn to catch up with his five squadron mates and then failing to take steps to prevent blood from rushing from his brain during the maneuver, according to a report released Monday...
Those forces caused by the maneuver — 6.7 Gs — were within the range expected for that maneuver, but their quick onset left Davis temporarily disoriented.
Navy officials say the squadron’s culture of perfection contributed to the crash.
“The culture of the Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron is that they constantly strive to perform a perfect show, every show,” the investigating officer, Lt. Col. Javier Ball, wrote in his report. “I believe that Lieutenant Commander Davis was simply trying to meet this standard, just as he would have at any other show.” ...
Investigators say they believe Davis never lost consciousness because he maintained control of the Hornet’s control stick until impact, attempting to right the aircraft until it struck the ground at nearly 350 miles per hour.
Before Davis’ death, the most recent Blue Angels fatal crash was in 1999, when a pilot and crew member died while practicing for air shows at a base in Georgia. An investigation determined that the pilot likely developed tunnel vision because a recent rib injury kept him from flexing his abdominal muscles.
After the 1999 crash, the Navy’s air training chief ordered the Blue Angels to consider wearing G-suits....
Since the 1999 crash, the Blue Angels pilots have received a series of waivers that allow them to fly without G-suits. Those waivers, investigators recommend, should continue...
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/0...eangel_080114/