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Blue Angel crash victims identified
O'Connor became a member of the Blue Angels in September 1999; officals say he was piloting the plane at the time of the crash
October 28, 1999
Web posted at: 10:19 p.m. EDT (0219 GMT)
VALDOSTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Two Navy pilots died when their F/A-18 jet assigned to the Blue Angels' precision flying team crashed in a wooded area of south Georgia on Thursday, erupting in a ball of flame.
One of the pilots had just become a member of the Blue Angels last month.
The plane was returning from a practice for an air show at nearby Moody Air Force Base this weekend when it crashed at 12:20 p.m. while practicing "circle and arrival maneuvers," a spokesman said. (Full Article)
Navy reports one of the best safety years on record
October 22, 1999
The United States Navy recently completed one of its safest years, setting new records in total aviation, operational and shore mishaps during fiscal year 1999.
Naval Aviation reported the most significant improvement, enjoying its best year ever. The Navy’s rate of .77 flight mishaps per 100,000 flight hours (a total of 9 class A flight mishaps) outpaced by 40 percent the previous best of 1.29 set in 1997. More importantly, naval aviation fatalities for 1999 (a total of six) were down nearly 70 percent from last year and more than 90 percent since 1991. (Full Article) |
