2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash

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**2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash**
Summary
Date	April 21, 2007
Type	g-LOC
Site	Near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina, United States
Crew	1
Injuries	8 (on the ground)
Fatalities	1
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	F/A-18 Hornet
Operator	United States Navy Blue Angels
Tail number	162437

The 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash occurred on April 21, 2007 when the Number 6 US Navy Blue Angels' jet crashed during the final minutes of an air show at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina.^[1] The sole fatality was confirmed and identified as the pilot, Lieutenant Commander Kevin 'Kojak' Davis, by the Blue Angels organization spokesman in a news conference on 22 April 2007.^[2] The body of the pilot and the black box were later recovered and moved to the local coroner's office.^[3] There were eight injuries reported on the ground.

A report was released on 15 January 2008, ending the investigation by the Navy into the crash. The report states that when Commander Davis pulled back into a 6.8 G pull, he lost control of the airplane due to the effect of blackout. The Report also states that the Blue Angels are considering looking into G-suits, even though this would not have saved the pilot in this crash.^[4]^[5]

1 Initial Reporting
2 Aftermath
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Initial Reporting

Blue Angel #5, Lt. Cmdr. John Allison, lead solo pilot and Blue Angel #6, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis, opposing solo pilot, perform the fortus, a wingtip-to-wingtip maneuver, during Lt. Cmdr. Davis' fatal flight^[6]

Family friends identified the downed pilot as Kevin 'Kojak' Davis.

Early reporting indicated that all six planes were making their final turns into the landing pattern when Blue Angel #6 flew low over a tree-line, three miles away from air show center, behind the audience and possibly clipped power lines and a tall pine tree near Shanklin Road. This was followed shortly by a large plume of black smoke, which Blue Angel #1 immediately began to circle while the others landed. A local official later came out and said that due to safety regulations, there was only a very slim possibility that the tree or power lines could have brought the aircraft down. The plane slid for two hundred to three hundred yards after it hit the ground crashing through homes and vehicles.^[7] Seconds after the crash, several rescue helicopters and local emergency vehicles responding to 9-1-1 calls went to the crash site, where much smoke was visible.^[8]^[9] The Navy identified the pilot as LCDR Kevin J. Davis of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the opposing solo in the #6 jet.^[10]

[edit] Aftermath

The Blue Angels returned to their home base at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, to discuss continuing their season.^[11] Sunday's air show went on as planned but, in a special tribute, the GEICO Skytypers flew the missing man formation in honor of the fallen Blue Angel.^[6]

Soon after LCDR Davis’s crash, the Blue Angels began performing a five-jet demonstration. The squadron also brought back former Blue Angel, LCDR Craig Olson, to fill the opposing solo position. He began performing after practicing with the team for a few weeks. LCDR Olson served with the squadron from 2003 through 2005 during which time he flew both solo positions. Navy's Judge Advocate General Manual investigation report recommends the Blue Angels considering using G-suits in demonstrations.^[4]