SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) – One person was killed after a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet crashed Thursday afternoon in Smyrna ahead of their weekend air show at the city’s airport.
A La Vergne official told WKRN News 2 the accident happened around 3 p.m. near Weakly Lane, about 2.5 miles from the Nissan plant, while practicing for the demonstration.
The U.S. Navy confirmed the pilot died in the crash.
A U.S. official says the pilot was identified as Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss.
The Smyrna Police Department will continue to assist in the situation but is yielding the investigation to the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. military.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol also responded to the scene to help direct traffic in the area.
Around 1,300 people are currently without power after the jet reportedly clipped some power lines during the crash.
Further details weren’t immediately known.
Hunter Hayes was set to fly with the Blue Angels on Friday. His publicist told News 2 the crash happened right in front of them. He was not injured.
This i s the second fighter jet crash of the day for the military’s elite fighter jet performance teams. A U.S. Air Force Thunderbird jet crashed earlier in the day Thursday in a field near Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs just after ceremonies at the nearby academy where President Obama delivered the commencement address. The pilot in that crash was uninjured.