President Obama had a close encounter today.
Shortly after the president delivered his commencement address at the Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony in Colorado, a Thunderbirds fighter jet crashed south of Colorado Springs just after the team had performed at the Air Force Academy’s graduation. The pilot safely ejected. According to the Denver Post, the crash happened minutes after the Thunderbirds’ F-16 jets flew over President Obama and others at the ceremony. Photos from the scene showed the white jet upright and seemingly intact in a field.
The Thunderbirds had just finished their traditional performance at the Air Force Academy graduation, screaming overhead just as the graduating officers tossed their white hats into the sky. The jets then did multiple fly-bys over the academy’s football stadium, where the ceremony took place, blasting by in tight formations or looping high overhead. There was no obvious sign of trouble with any of the jets during the performance.
Obama was still at the stadium taking photographs and greeting attendees in a private area during the air show that lasted about half an hour south of Colorado Springs. News of the crash broke while Obama’s motorcade was returning to Peterson Air Force Base for his flight back to Washington. The crash occurred about 15 miles south of Peterson Air Force Base, where Air Force One was waiting to take off.
Obama briefly met with the pilot who crashed, shaking hands with him before he departed on Air Force One. Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president “thanked the pilot for his service,” according to a pool report.
Benjamin Newell, spokesman for the Air Force’s Air Combat Command in Langley, Va., said the crash happened as the pilot was returning to Peterson Air Force Base. He said the crash resulted from a “mishap.” Newell said it’s extremely rare for a Thunderbirds pilot to crash, saying they are among the best pilots in the Air Force and chosen specifically, because of their ability, to be a part of the program.
“We are unable to release the specifics at this time,” Newell said, citing an ongoing investigation. The pilot was able to walk away from the crash unhurt, Air Force officials said, but was being evaluated. “It’s a very traumatic event,” Newell said of an ejection.
“This is a very rare thing for them and in the Air Force overall,” Newell said.
The Thunderbirds said no one was hurt on the ground in the crash and that there is no hazard to the public. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, the Thunderbirds said in a statement.
The AP video below shows the Thunderbirds in action moments before the crash
In a separate incident, just hours later, a U.S. Navy Blue Angels F-18 crashed, the Navy public affairs office at the Pentagon said. The Blue Angels had been in the Smyrna, Tennessee, area for practice, according to the flight demonstration squadron’s Twitter account. According to CNN, one person died in that crash.
via http://ift.tt/1VA6Udh Tyler Durden