PENSACOLA, Fla. — A Marine captain and married father of two was the Blue Angels pilot killed Thursday in a fiery crash before an air show in Smyrna, Tenn., Navy officials said Friday.
Capt. Jeff Kuss, 32, had been with the elite flight demonstration squadron since 2014. He was one the six-jet team's two solo pilots.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the Blue Angels after this tragic loss. I know that the Navy and Marine Corps Team is with me. We will investigate this accident fully and do all we can to prevent similar incidents in the future," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said as part of a statement that the Navy released.
With swollen eyes, the leader of the Blue Angels stepped forward Friday before the squadron left Smyrna Airport to pay tribute to his fallen colleague, calling him "an incredible husband, father, son, Marine and teammate."
"He embodied and inspired in all of us an incredible spirit of compassion, courage and resiliency," Cmdr. Ryan Bernacchi said. "We lost an aviator that believed so deeply in the mission of inspiring others. We need time to grieve this tremendous loss."
Also Friday, the Navy canceled an upcoming Blue Angels performance in Syracuse, N.Y. Cmdr. Jeannie Groeneveld, spokeswoman for Naval Air Forces Pacific, said the Navy has not yet decided when the team will resume flying or when members will return to their home base at Pensacola Naval Air Station.
The Blue Angels have 22 shows left in their 37-show season, which began in March. The Great Tennessee Airshow, which was to feature the Blue Angels, will continue this weekend with a roster of civilian pilots.
The city of Pensacola canceled its June 20 Solos in the City forum, part of a series of Pensacola-area appearances from the team members to celebrate the Blue Angels' 70th anniversary season. The forum was to include Kuss and other current and former Blue Angel solo pilots talking about their roles on the team and the specific maneuvers they perform.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Blue Angels. They are such a big part of our community," Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward said.
Kuss graduated in 2002 from Durango High School in Durango, Colo., and from Colorado's Fort Lewis College in 2006, the same year he joined the Marine Corps. A college spokesman said school officials were devastated at news of Kuss' death.
"We at Fort Lewis College are very proud of what he accomplished in his career," Mitchel Davis said. "Our thoughts are with his friends and family during this difficult time."
Suzie West of Pensacola, district executive for Boy Scouts of America, rode with Kuss as a VIP guest at the Blue Angels' homecoming air show in Pensacola in November. After she heard about the crash, she said her first thought was a hope that Kuss wasn't involved.
"I know that's horrible because I didn't want anything to happen to anyone else either," she said. "But it's just what I thought."
She described Kuss as confident, capable and reassuring. She said he put her at ease as soon as she met him.
"Literally, he just calmed my nerves," she said. "He checked on me throughout the flight, asked questions and made sure I was OK."
West also asked Kuss questions about his life and his family.
"People think of them as superstars, and in their own right they are," she said. "But he was also a father, husband and a son. I'm sure he went to school meetings and grocery shopping. My heart just goes out for his family and his Blue Angel family."
Kuss trained at the Naval bases in Corpus Christi and Kingsville, Texas, before being selected to join the Blue Angels in 2014.
The International Council of Air Shows has established a foundation to honor the pilot, according to the Navy. Donors can contribute money to the Capt. Jeff Kuss Foundation at icasfoundation.org
Contributing: Nancy De Gennaro, The (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Daily News Journal; Natalie Neysa Alund and Adam Tamburin, The Tennessean.
