Blue Angels Airshow Cancelled Following Crashes

Following two bizarre June 2 crashes, the Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds have announced show cancellations.

In the wake of the death of Capt. Jeff Kuss, the pilot who crashed during a practice flight, the Blue Angels are in a safety stand down. The team called off June demonstrations at the Syracuse International Airshow in New York and the Vectren Dayton Airshow in Ohio, but no other cancellations have been announced. A Navy statement said the Blue Angels airshow team is in an “operational pause prior to moving forward with its 2016 airshow season.”

Although the Blue Angels airshow team is on hold for demonstrations, a single Blue Angels jet accompanied Fat Albert, the team's C-130 transport plane, in a flight over Pensacola, Florida, on Tuesday to honor Kuss and transport his body to Pensacola Naval Air Station.

Immediately following a Thunderbirds pilot’s crash last week in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Thunderbirds team also called off its presence at Kirtland Air Force Base Air Show, as well as the 2016 Rhode Island International Airshow. Although the pilot ejected safely from the plane, it is unknown how this incident will affect the team’s summer airshow schedule. At this time, no other cancellations have been made.