Triggar
2004-12-01, 07:46 PM
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/st/1201_planedown.shtml
One of the beloved Blue Angels, the Navy's elite flight demonstration squadron, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near Perdido Key today, but the pilot survived.
The F/A-18 Hornet went down in the gulf at approximately 2:45 p.m., during a routine training mission, according to Chief Victor Brabble, a spokesman for the Blue Angels.
He said the pilot ejected from the jet before the crash and was located by rescue teams. He appears to be in good condition but is still being evaluated, Brabble said.
The pilot's name has not yet been released.
The pilot was taken by helicopter to Pensacola Naval Hospital, according to hospital spokesman Rod Duren. He was taken immediately into the emergency room, where he remained under observation.
Duren did not know the extent of the pilot's injuries and did not know whether he would be kept overnight for further evaluation.
The crash site is about six miles off-shore, near the Flora-Bama Lounge, about 10 miles from Pensacola Naval Air Station.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Brabble said. He could not release whether the jet had been recovered.
The team, which welcomed two new pilots and four new support staff in July, typically trains in California during the winter months.
In October 1999, two Blue Angels pilots were killed when their jet crashed in south Georgia during a pre-air show practice flight.
One of the beloved Blue Angels, the Navy's elite flight demonstration squadron, crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near Perdido Key today, but the pilot survived.
The F/A-18 Hornet went down in the gulf at approximately 2:45 p.m., during a routine training mission, according to Chief Victor Brabble, a spokesman for the Blue Angels.
He said the pilot ejected from the jet before the crash and was located by rescue teams. He appears to be in good condition but is still being evaluated, Brabble said.
The pilot's name has not yet been released.
The pilot was taken by helicopter to Pensacola Naval Hospital, according to hospital spokesman Rod Duren. He was taken immediately into the emergency room, where he remained under observation.
Duren did not know the extent of the pilot's injuries and did not know whether he would be kept overnight for further evaluation.
The crash site is about six miles off-shore, near the Flora-Bama Lounge, about 10 miles from Pensacola Naval Air Station.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, Brabble said. He could not release whether the jet had been recovered.
The team, which welcomed two new pilots and four new support staff in July, typically trains in California during the winter months.
In October 1999, two Blue Angels pilots were killed when their jet crashed in south Georgia during a pre-air show practice flight.