Pilot parachutes to safety before Thunderbird crashes

[niyad]

Source: kktv

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) A Thunderbird pilot was able to parachute to safety after aircraft issues caused his jet to begin going down in the Security-Widefield area Thursday afternoon.

The crash happened immediately following the annual Thunderbird performance at the Air Force Academy graduation. Witnesses say the plane crashed in a field near the Powers and Fontaine intersection, across the street from First Baptist Church-Peaceful Valley.

"My initial report from the airport was that the aircraft was on final approach to the runaway, and then they received a report of the aircraft down. I do not have specifics on what led up to that moment," said Jeff Bohn, a spokesperson with Peterson Air Force Base.

Powers is closed at Bradley.

Photos from one 11 News viewer show the pilot safely following his aircraft via parachute into the field.

"My initial report is that the pilot's condition is okay, that he's good. He's being taken in for medical observation. ... I do know that the pilot is in pretty good shape," Bohn said.

Read more: http://www.kktv.com/content/news/Reports-of-plane-crash-south-of-Colorado-Springs-airport-381683861.html

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oh my, a thunderbird and a blue angel down.

[msongs]

1. "thunderbirds" are a good place to cut the military. "blue angels" as well. expensive PR nt

[niyad]

3. so many places to cut the obscenely bloated mic.

considering the sexual assaults and religious bigotry at the service academies, I wouldn't mind them going.

I used to know what the cost was per cadet.

[MADem]

8. It used to be 88K about twenty years ago.

It's probably much more now.

[leveymg]

2. So, who was killed as reported? On edit - that was the Navy crash

Both in one day. Very strange.

[niyad]

6. nothing that I have read indicates a fatality

[leveymg]

9. There was also a Blue Angels crash reported today with a fatality

It on the scroll.

[MADem]

10. That was an F/A-18 and the USN pilot was killed, in TN.

They were apparently practicing/training for airshows when that happened.

[Kingofalldems]

4. Love those ejection seats.

[Plucketeer]

5. Glad to hear that there's no one killed here

You can bet your bottom dollar we'll NEVER see these flight teams in F-22s or F-35s. Matter of fact, I never stopped to consider if there might be drone performance teams in the service's futures! With the explosion of FPV drone racing of late, why not flight demonstration teams as well?

[MADem]

7. Pilot is fine, he's from MA. The plane is in one piece.

It sort of glided to a lumpy stop. I guess it was going fairly slowly and was able to just kind of plop down in one piece.

It's totalled, but at least they'll be able to do a good forensic exam and figure out what happened.