SMYRNA, Tenn. — An official in Tennessee says a pilot was killed when his Blue Angels fighter jet crashed, but no civilians were hurt on the ground.
Harry Gill, the town manager in Smyrna just outside Nashville, said Thursday that the pilot was the only casualty. Some power outages were caused by the crash, but no civilians were hurt.
A U.S. official says the pilot was identified as Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Kansas City Air Show Director Ed Noyallis confirmed that Capt. Kuss performed at the 2015 show at the Wheeler Downtown Airport. According to his Blue Angels biography, he logged more than 1,400 flight hours and was decorated with the Strike Flight Air Medal and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
.@kcpolice & others met Capt. Kuss in KC. He shared w/me his daily workout schedule, talked about family and fun. pic.twitter.com/87pzxoVC6k
— chiefforte (@ChiefForte) June 3, 2016
The Navy says the pilot was beginning to take off during an afternoon practice session when the crash happened. Five other F/A-18 jets landed safely moments later.
The elite acrobatics team was scheduled to perform at an air show this weekend.