SMYRNA — U.S. Navy officials have confirmed the pilot of a Blue Angels jet was killed in a crash about 3 p.m. today.
Steve Fiebing, deputy public affairs officer for the Naval Air Forces, said the jet crashed at 3:01 p.m. He said the Naval Air Forces would investigate.
The pilot has not been publicly identified.
Witnesses said all other Blue Angels aircraft landed and were on the ground. The military flight demonstration unit was in Smyrna for the Great Tennessee Airshow on Saturday and Sunday.
A fireball and thick black plume of smoke from the crash could be seen just beyond the runway at Smyrna Airport and from Interstate 24.
Helicopters circled the area and first responders cordoned off nearby areas. Bright yellow police tape kept residents of the nearby Fairway Meadows Apartment complex, at 93 Weakley Lane, at a safe distance.
Jennifer Elliott was in her yard watching the Blue Angels practice. She went inside just before the crash and said she felt the explosion at their house, which is about a mile from the Smyrna airport.
”It sounded like car crashed into my house,” she said. “Everything shook.”
Minutes later, she said she could hear sirens and the other Blue Angels team were circling over the smoke.
Rebecca Durand was in her car with her son Jordan when they saw the jet go down. Durand said she saw the nose of the jet come straight down. She thought it was a stunt.
"Instead, I just saw this big orange explosion," she said.
"Just like in the movies," Jordan Durand said.
The crash occurred the same day as another military performance plane, a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird, crashed near Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado after a flyover during a graduation ceremony.
The six jets of the Blue Angels roared over downtown Nashville earlier Thursday. The Blue Angels are scheduled to fly 66 demonstrations at 34 locations throughout the nation this year, which is the Blue Angels' 70th anniversary year.
The mission of the flight unit is to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach.
It’s still unclear how many times Blue Angels have crashed in the team's history.
A BLUE ANGEL JUST CRASHED BEHIND MY WORK OMG 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/GTY85NqFgT
— haybales_ (@HalieShults) June 2, 2016
Just saw a blue angel explode.... Absolutely horrifying pic.twitter.com/WKJnNRymML
— Brianna LeMay (@lemay_brianna) June 2, 2016
Media reports indicate the last fatal crash involving the Blue Angels was a 2007 crash in South Carolina. The pilot flew too low and tried to make a turn while traveling too fast, leading to the fatal crash, according to The Virginian Pilot.
At the time, The Associated Press reported the crash was the 26th fatality in Blue Angel’s history.
In order to become a specific type of Blue Angel’s pilot, Navy and Marine pilots must have aircraft carrier qualifications and a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet-flight hours, according the team’s website. Pilots typically serve two years before returning to their units.
Since 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 484 million fans, according to the team’s website.
