USAF Thunderbird AND USN Blue Angel down
 

Multiple reports on Twitter reporting that an F-16 from the Thunderbirds has crashed earlier following an engine failure following a fly past of the graduation at the USAF Academy at Colorado Springs.

Multiple sources also confirming that the pilot ejected and is under medical care already. Here's hoping for a swift recovery

https://twitter.com/newsblab/status/738457936763092993

Looks well to me from these pics.

Pics of the jet...

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/06/0...medium=twitter

F-16 Thunderbird Crash
 

One of the T-Birds has supposedly crashed during or just after their performance at the USAF Academy graduation ceremonies. News says the pilot ejected and there is a poor quality photo on Facebook showing a T-Bird F-16 down in a field. The nose is damaged and it is on its belly. Anyone know any details?

Thunderbird incident after grad flyover
 

Thunderbirds fighter jet crashes in Colorado Springs after flyover at Air Force Academy graduation ? The Denver Post


Pilot safe and jet appears intact in nearby field.

And now this...

BREAKING Blue Angels F/A-18 has crashed in Smyrna, Tennessee | AIRLIVE.net

Not a good day for the US display teams... All crossed for the USN crews...

One dead in the Smyrna crash but reports do not yet say who or what. Bad day all around.

Bob C

The aircraft came down in a field:
http://www.denverpost.com/wp-content...9c1e.jpg?w=800

The pilot, reported by the Denver Post as Major Alex Turner, parachuted to safety. Obama, concerned, met with him afterwords:

http://www.denverpost.com/wp-content...4110.jpg?w=699

All things considered, the Colorado incident could have been worse.

That's clever ... eject first, then land the aircraft?

A sad day indeed, and RIP Capt Kuss.

Exceptional spin doctoring by the AF PR machine, take random luck and frame it as pilot heroics.

Remote control I guess. That's multi tasking.

Great he is OK, but as to missing schools and hospitals, he avoided the USAF Academy!
RiP the Blue Angels pilot. Very sad

I have to ask how many here claim to have mastered "pilotism" ... *

* My spill-chocker doesn't like "pilotism", and Bohn is a good name for someone using it. Is his nickname "Dome"?


However, whilst the USAF Dribble Machine is a good source of laughter, not such a good day for the Blue Angels, the USMC and Capt Kuss.

Reports say the Thunderbirds Falcon was already in landing config, lined up for runway at KCOS. Slow, and gear (and intake) likely absorbed most of the impact, thus the relatively intact airframe.

How about figure out what is going on, controlling some sort of a heading and then ejecting.
Must not be that high anyway if on approach.

Un-piloted landing? It's not unheard of

F-106 Accidents & Emergency Landings

RAAF had a Mirage do more or the less the same. Engine failure in the circuit, ejected, airframe deposited itself in a swamp with only a few dings in the bodywork. Now resides in a museum.

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/galler..._a_2.sized.jpg

Now that's a proper paint job - look at that go fast fin flash.
None of this stealth grey bollocks.

Shoot, even deployed the chute.

I've seen that Mirage up close and the lack of damage is remarkable. I did meet an ex Mirage pilot (RAAF) who was given a severe reprimand for successfully deadsticking a "silent" aeroplane home rather than abandoning it...

In Jan 1960, a Danish Hawker Hunter pilot ejected after suffering an engine failure on the approach...

...the aircraft then made an almost perfect belly landing at Skrydstrup AB some 3 miles away!

Apparently it suffered such little damage that it was repaired and put back into service - although I find that hard to believe.

IIRC there was a USAF fighter where the pilot messed up the approach to the extent he was over the runway, nose-high on the back of the drag curve and ejected.

The ejection shut the throttle and pitched the nose forward, the aircraft touched down and engaged an arrestor cable, stopping with no further damage than the missing seat and associated missing parts etc.

The pilot thereafter having the reputation that his aircraft landed better without him than with with......