Blue Angels Are Under Review After A Jet Flew So Low Over Pensacola Beach That It Sent Chairs And Umbrellas Flying
Video of a US Navy Blue Angels F/A-18E Super Hornet flying low enough over Pensacola Beach on Wednesday morning to kick up sand, scatter chairs and collapse beach umbrellas spread rapidly on social media, and the Navy confirmed the incident is now under review.
The flyover happened during a "Breakfast with the Blues" event, the first public appearance for the squadron's newly rotated team.
In a statement, the Blue Angels acknowledged that "during an arrival maneuver, an aircraft flew lower than standard profiles, resulting in a disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas." The Navy called it a "low-altitude pass."
"The safety of our hometown community, spectators, and our pilots is our highest priority," the statement said. "Team leadership is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the maneuver and conducting a thorough safety review to ensure all operations adhere to strict Navy and FAA safety standards."
Witnesses on the beach had a different way of describing the experience. "I've been coming for 10 years and I've never seen a pass like that in my life," one spectator told local affiliate WEAR. "I literally thought we were going to be taken out by Blue Angels. But it was amazing."
No injuries were reported. The Blue Angels are based in Pensacola and it is their hometown crowd, the same crowd that cheered as the jet buzzed the lifeguard tower and turned the water surface to white froth. Whether the Navy characterizes the incident as an error or an enthusiastic arrival is exactly what the review will determine.
