NEWS 3 has confirmed a Blue Angel aircraft has gone down near Pine Grove Road in Beaufort. NEWS 3 has crews on the scene and we'll have the latest tonight on NEWS 3 at 11.

The latest information the crash of a U.S. Navy Blue Angels: Blue Angel number 6 of the precision flying team crashed Saturday into a Beaufort neighborhood during an airshow, killing the pilot. The death was confirmed by Beaufort County Coroner Curt Copeland. No further details were released, but as of this report, there are no injuries or fatalities on the ground.

The jet went down at end of the air show. Four other planes landed and a fifth continued to fly circling over the smoke. According to witnesses at the scene, the P.A. system said thanks for coming out and that an autograph session has been canceled. CNN is reporting that the Beaufort County coroner’s officer reports one fatality.

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Airshow witness tells what she saw
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Crash site remains closed Sunday
History of Blue Angels
Watch the full press conference
Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis airshow tribute
Blue Angel identified following crash
Crash witness says all pilots are heroes
Blue Angels prepare for first show since crash
One month later: Blue Angels crash site still investigated
Blue Angels Crash Investigation Revealed

More information coming from CNN:

Fred Yelinek who witnessed the crash told, told CNN the crash occurred about
a mile from the Marine Corps Air Station, which was hosting the two day show.
Yelinek said he heard an "earth-shattering rumble" as the plane came down about
100 yards away from him.
Photos from the site showed a street littered with debris, some of it
resembling blown-out tires. There were nearby trees on fire with smoke trailing
away. There were no large pieces of debris.
Yelinek said the jet crashed into a tall stand of pine trees, and pieces
of the aircraft hit homes, but he didn't see any catch fire. The pieces were
"as big as a hand but no larger," he said.
Parts of a tree and the plane crashed into the home of a neighbor,
Yelinek said, but she was uninjured. Pieces also hit other houses and smashed
car windshields, he said.
"Most people were very shaken, but unhurt," the witness said.
"I was working on a pump in the yard across the street from the initial
impact, and I heard the Blue Angeles go over ... in a full, tight formation,"
Yelinek said.
"And then four or five minutes later, I hear them coming again, expecting
to see pretty much the same thing, but I didn't hear any strange noises, and
then it was the crashing sound of pieces of the airplane coming through the
trees in the yard across the street."
"And then a huge fireball, maybe 200, 300 yards further on down. The
debris started from the first impact with a pine tree, which was maybe 100
yards from my location."
"Part of the tree and the debris went through a house in that yard, then
the main body of the airplane continued on about 300 more yards and hit about
one city block further down at the intersection of Shanklin and Pine Grove
roads.
"There's a lot of houses on all four corners of that intersection. And
there was a lot of fire at that intersection, and continuing thereafter."
Another witness, Gerald Popp, said the six jets had been flying for about
five minutes before one of them turned south, toward the Broad River.
"I saw him go down lower than the trees, and next I saw a big black,
cloud of smoke," said Popp, who also lives in Beaufort.
CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said the weather in Beaufort, which is
near Savannah, was clear.
Pam and Bill Edwards said they were watching the air show from the media
stand when they realized something was terribly wrong.
"It was right at the end of the airshow ... we counted four planes
landing, and there was one circling in that smokey area right over the crash
site," Bill Edwards said. "I looked around the sky, and there was nothing else
there. Then we saw the emergency helicopter go up, and we automatically assumed
the worst at that point."

The aerobatic maneuvers were to be repeated on Sunday as part of the Low
Country Blues Festival. The show also featured other aerial demonstration teams
and civilian and military aircraft displays.
Justin Cooke, an off-duty air traffic controller at the base, told CNN
some of the runways used in the airshow are near military base housing, which
gets constant flyovers from the base's jets. But he added he doesn't think the
jet crashed into the base housing area.
"From my understanding, northeast of base housing is a residential area."
Although he was unable to confirm the jet had struck there, but said "one of my
Marines' said the power was out temporarily and stuff had knocked off their
walls from the impact" of the crash.
"The base is on lockdown," Cooke said.
While the cause of the crash is unknown, he mentioned that birds pose a
frequent problem to jets flying in the area, and can cause a crash.
"On an F-18 you have two motors and if they take (a bird) in the engine
it could cause engine failure and shut that down," he said. He said the plane
is capable of flying in excess of 450 miles an hour.
Although Cooke was not at the show, he said he has extensive knowledge of
the show's program.
"Sounds like they were completing the show" when the jet crashed.
Beaufort, with a population of nearly 13,000, is 45 miles north of
Savannah.

Links:

US Navy Blue Angels Website

Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort

Beaufort Air Show, 2007 Website

Information on the F/A-18

(from US Navy's Fact File website)

F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter

Description
All-weather fighter and attack aircraft. The single-seat F/A-18 Hornet is the nation's first strike-fighter. It was designed for traditional strike applications such as interdiction and close air support without compromising its fighter capabilities. With its excellent fighter and self-defense capabilities, the F/A-18 at the same time increases strike mission survivability and supplements the F-14 Tomcat in fleet air defense. F/A-18 Hornets are currently operating in 37 tactical squadrons from air stations world-wide, and from 10 aircraft carriers. The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron proudly flies them. The Hornet comprises the aviation strike force for seven foreign customers including Canada, Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland.

The newest model, Super Hornet, is highly capable across the full mission spectrum: air superiority, fighter escort, reconnaissance, aerial refueling, close air support, air defense suppression and day/night precision strike. Compared to the original F/A-18 A through D models, Super Hornet has longer range, an aerial refueling capability, increased survivability/lethality and improved carrier suitability. [Capability of precision-guided munitions: JDAM (all variants) and JSOW. JASSM in the future]


Features
The F/A-18 Hornet, an all-weather aircraft, is used as an attack aircraft as well as a fighter. In its fighter mode, the F/A-18 is used primarily as a fighter escort and for fleet air defense; in its attack mode, it is used for force projection, interdiction and close and deep air support.

Background
The F/A-18 demonstrated its capabilities and versatility during Operation Desert Storm, shooting down enemy fighters and subsequently bombing enemy targets with the same aircraft on the same mission, and breaking all records for tactical aircraft in availability, reliability, and maintainability.

Hornets taking direct hits from surface-to-air missiles, recovering successfully, being repaired quickly, and flying again the next day proved the aircraft's survivability. The F/A-18 is a twin engine, mid-wing, multi-mission tactical aircraft. The F/A-18A and C are single seat aircraft. The F/A-18B and D are dual-seaters. The B model is used primarily for training, while the D model is the current Navy aircraft for attack, tactical air control, forward air control and reconnaissance squadrons. The newest models, the E and F were rolled out at McDonnell Douglas Sept. 17, 1995. The E is a single seat while the F is a two-seater.

The F/A-18 E/F acquisition program was an unparalleled success. The aircraft emerged from Engineering and Manufacturing Development meeting all of its performance requirements on cost, on schedule and 400 pounds under weight. All of this was verified in Operational Verification testing, the final exam, passing with flying colors receiving the highest possible endorsement.

The first operational cruise of Super Hornet, F/A-18 E, was with VFA-115 onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on July 24, 2002, and saw initial combat action on Nov. 6, 2002, when they participated in a strike on hostile targets in the "no-fly" zone in Iraq.

Super Hornet, flew combat sorties from Abraham Lincoln during Southern Watch, demonstrating reliability and an increased range and payload capability. VFA 115 embarked aboard Lincoln expended twice the amount of bombs as other squadrons in their airwing (with 100% accuracy) and met and exceeded all readiness requirements while on deployment. The Super Hornet cost per flight hour is 40% of the F-14 Tomcat and requires 75% less labor hours per flight hour.

All F/A-18s can be configured quickly to perform either fighter or attack roles or both, through selected use of external equipment to accomplish specific missions. This "force multiplier" capability gives the operational commander more flexibility in employing tactical aircraft in a rapidly changing battle scenario. The fighter missions are primarily fighter escort and fleet air defense; while the attack missions are force projection, interdiction, and close and deep air support.

The F/A-18C and D models are the result of a block upgrade in 1987 incorporating provisions for employing updated missiles and jamming devices against enemy ordnance. C and D models delivered since 1989 also include an improved night attack capability. The E and F models have built on the proven effectiveness of the A through D aircraft. The Super Hornet provides aircrew the capability and performance necessary to face 21st century threats.

Service
Navy and Marine Corps

Point Of Contact
Naval Air Systems Command
F/A-18 Public Affairs Officer
47123 Buse Road, Bldg 2272
Patuxent River, MD 20670-1547
(301) 757-7646

General Characteristics, Super Hornet, E and F models

Primary Function: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft.
Contractor: McDonnell Douglas.
Date Deployed: First flight in November 1995. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in September 2001 with VFA-115, NAS Lemoore, Calif. First cruise for VFA-115 is onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Unit Cost: $57 million
Propulsion: Two F414-GE-400 turbofan engines. 22,000 pounds (9,977 kg) static thrust per engine.
Length: 60.3 feet (18.5 meters).
Height: 16 feet (4.87 meters).
Wingspan: 44.9 feet (13.68 meters).
Weight: Maximum Take Off Gross Weight is 66,000 pounds (29,932 kg).
Airspeed: Mach 1.8+.
Ceiling: 50,000+ feet.
Range: Combat: 1,275 nautical miles (2,346 kilometers), clean plus two AIM-9s
Ferry: 1,660 nautical miles (3,054 kilometers), two AIM-9s, three 480 gallon tanks retained.
Crew: A, C and E models: One
B, D and F models: Two.
Armament: One M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon; AIM 9 Sidewinder, AIM-9X (projected), AIM 7 Sparrow, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Harpoon, Harm, SLAM, SLAM-ER (projected), Maverick missiles; Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW); Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM); Data Link Pod; Paveway Laser Guided Bomb; various general purpose bombs, mines and rockets. See the F/A-18 weapons load-out page.

General Characteristics, C and D models

Primary Function: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft.
Contractor: Prime: McDonnell Douglas; Major Subcontractor: Northrop.
Date Deployed: November 1978. Operational - October 1983 (A/B models); September 1987 (C/D models).
Unit Cost: $29 million.
Propulsion: Two F404-GE-402 enhanced performance turbofan engines. 17,700 pounds static thrust per engine.
Length: 56 feet (16.8 meters).
Height: 15 feet 4 inches (4.6 meters).
Wingspan: 40 feet 5 inches (13.5 meters).
Weight: Maximum Take Off Gross Weight is 51,900 pounds (23,537 kg).
Airspeed: Mach 1.7+.
Ceiling: 50,000+ feet.
Range: Combat: 1,089 nautical miles (1252.4 miles/2,003 km), clean plus two AIM-9s
Ferry: 1,546 nautical miles (1777.9 miles/2,844 km), two AIM-9s plus three 330 gallon tanks.
Crew: A, C and E models: One
B, D and F models: Two
Armament: One M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon; AIM 9 Sidewinder, AIM 7 Sparrow, AIM-120 AMRAAM, Harpoon, Harm, SLAM, SLAM-ER, Maverick missiles; Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW); Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM); various general purpose bombs, mines and rockets. See the F/A-18 weapons load-out page.

Last Update: 13 October 2006