Just read this on another site... not so surprising that he didn't eject when you consider how these guys fly.

Most people don't realize it but in a 6 plane close formation, only the lead pilot is really looking out ahead of the group. Everyone else is looking at the wing tip beside them or some other fixed point on an adjacent plane.

They hold this visual cue all the way through the aerobatic maneuver. If the lead plane drives into the ground, it's almost a sure bet, all the rest will follow.

This is why things like this typically don't happen to the airplane up front.

This s truly sad news.

My BIL is based out of that station. He wouldn't have been in the plane, but he probably was one of the ones helping to set them up to fly. I'm waiting to hear from him now.

Such a sad thing for so many people to see...

This actually happened to the Thunderbirds (1982) when I was living in Vegas (they are based at Nellis AFB outside Vegas).

Many people just didn't get why the whole team was killed. They figure that at least one of those guys would have seen the ground coming up or their altimeter reading and "pulled up".

My Dad had orders to join the Blue Angels in the 60's. Before he could report, they sent him to Vietnam instead. Brings things like this close to home.

It only says a pilot was killed after he hit a powerline. In a high-speed, close to the ground manuever, that is a danger. I have spent enough times around military flight lines to see this happen a few times. Sometimes, even clipping a wingtip, at high speed, can completely destroy a plane. (Other times they don't even know until they are back to based.) Probably didn't even know he had hit it, just going through the drill and then dead.

My heart goes out to his family.

Dude this sucks.

I LOVE the blue angels. I cant believe this happened

^Mine too

It is unfortunate, but it is inherently dangerous and although these guys are among the best in the world every time they rotate they know that they are putting their lives on the line. Therefore, I'm sure that he died doing what he loved and now that he has slipped the surly bonds of earth he has no regrets.

Well put.


Reuters has a little more on the story here.