Blue Angels....

[McKenzie]

TweetThis is from our local paper (which we are Home of the Blue Angels)

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- A U.S. Navy Blue Angels pilot was killed after crashing Saturday afternoon while performing at an air show.

Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis, a native of Pittsfield, Mass., was piloting the No. 6 jet when it went down at about 3 p.m. (CDT), 30 minutes into the show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort (S.C.).

The news of the third fatal Blue Angels crash in 10 years death traveled rapidly to Pensacola, which celebrates the elite team based at the Pensacola Naval Air Station as its own.

Blue Angels spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Garrett Kasper said the team will return to Pensacola this afternoon.

"We will regroup," he said.

Pensacola Mayor John Fogg, a Blue Angels pilot in 1973 and 1974, called the accident a "tragedy."

"The whole nation is impacted by something like this," Fogg said.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, and his wife, Vicki, also expressed condolences.

"Vicki and I were saddened to learn about the loss of a member of the Blue Angels family today in Beaufort, S.C.," Miller said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, especially those men and women who proudly serve this nation in the U.S. Navy.

"The Blue Angels represent some of the very best of our armed forces. We are proud of their long history of service and of their special relationship to Northwest Florida."

Kasper would not confirm the dead pilot's identity, citing a Department of Defense rule that requires a 24-hour waiting period.

However, A.J. Fratto, a Navy recruiter and former Blue Angels crew chief, told the News Journal that Davis was the victim. He said he received at least 40 phone calls from concerned friends within a couple of hours of his death.

"It's a sad thing, but I'm glad he got to go out as a Blue Angel," Fratto said.

A friend of the Davis family also confirmed his death, according to the Berkshire (Mass.) Eagle.

"I said a quick prayer, hoping that it wasn't Kevin," Tom McGill told the Eagle. "When I got home, I got a call from a friend saying that it was. (This is) devastating."

Officials at the Beaufort Marine base where the accident happened said the pilot's name would be officially released today.

Though initial reports said the plane hit a pine tree or power line, other witnesses said the jet was in total control before it plummeted below the treeline.

A portion of the F/A-18 Hornet traveled another block before crashing near a heavily populated area. Parts of the plane hit several houses, according to witnesses.

Davis' jet was joining the "Delta formation" for the final maneuver of the aerial demonstration when the crash occurred.

A 1-mile perimeter was established after the wreck, and no one was allowed in or out.

It was not immediately known whether anyone else was hurt in the crash, though witnesses said they saw debris on the ground and at least one home on fire.

"I was working at a residence across the street from the initial impact," said Fred Yelinek. "I was not looking that way at the time but was in the yard. The plane hit the top of a tree and clipped it off. The sound of that turned me around. The plane had already passed through that yard and into Shanklin Road. It exploded on impact with a giant fireball, and of course it shook the earth."

Emergency crews at the scene of the crash site called for the coroner about 3:20 p.m. (CDT), indicating that the pilot was killed in the crash.

Jason Keith of Yemassee, S.C., said he was driving when he saw the plane crash behind a Food Lion grocery store.

"Something caught my eye, and all of a sudden I saw a huge black explosion," he said.

"The plane went down, and we watched it for awhile and I didn't see any parachute or anything. If he had been 400 yards to his right, he would have plowed into the road. The other guys were just flying along."

Keith said he saw a home catch fire.

Tim Stamps, 18, said he was walking down the road, coming back from Food Lion, when he saw the plane circling in the air and smoking.

He also saw the left side of a house covered in debris and the windows broken out.

Mark Generales was in his boat on the Beaufort River at the time of the accident.

He said the planes came around Lady's Island and Beaufort, then swung out toward the air base.

"They looked to be doing an approach," he said. "They had appeared from the distance to be just above the tree line, and everything appeared to be going fine. All of the sudden, one plane seemed to slow down, and it fell straight out of the air."

Generales said he didn't see any smoke and didn't see an ejection.

It appeared the plane "just lost power," he said.

"The plane just disappeared," Generales said. "And a couple of seconds later, I saw the smoke."

Robert Bowden also was in the Beaufort River at the time of the crash.

"The angle went wrong on it, he dipped below the trees," he said. "When he dipped out of my eye site, it was clear he went down and the rest of the formation wasn't aware of it."

Bowden said he didn't see the jet hit anything.

Dave Perkins said he saw parts of the plane strewn about the area. He said there was a hole about 10 feet long and 2 feet wide in a trailer.

"There was a fire on the telephone pole," Perkins said. "The canopy of the plane was across the street from me on fire."

He said the incident was "like nothing like I've ever felt before."

Joe Farrell, who had a plane on display at Saturday's air show, said the jet largely appeared in control.

"It looked like it was in absolute control all the way into the ground," he said.

"We watched the guys try to reform. He made the turn and slid right into the ground."

Saturday's show was at the beginning of the team's flight season, which began last month, and more than 100,000 people were expected to attend.