This was a bad weekend for American airspace.
9 people died in three separate crashes.
Later today the pilot of the late Blue Angel pilot flying in his first airshow will be released by the Navy.
Condolences to his family and friends.
A small plane flying to the Bahamas didn't make it killing 5 people on board.
A small plane flying in Key West and apparently did not realize they were in restrcted airspace because of a unmanned U.S. Government War on Drugs Blimp had a cable tether 8,000 feet down to the ground.
The small plane clipped the cable with it's wing and crashed killing the 3 on board.
With drugs so readily available, is the blimp really worth it and doing any good?
Poll question added
4-21-2007 Blue Angel jet crashes at S.C. air show
Witnesses said metal and plastic wreckage ? some of it on fire ? hit homes in the neighborhood, located about 35 miles northwest of Hilton Head Island. William Winn, the county emergency management director, said several homes were damaged. Eight people on the ground suffered injuries that were not life threatening.
The crash took place in the final minutes of the air show, said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Walley, a Blue Angel pilot. The pilots were doing a maneuver which involved all six planes joining from behind the crowd to form a Delta triangle, said Lt. Cmdr. Garrett D. Kasper, spokesman for the Blue Angels. One plane did not rejoin the formation.
The show was scheduled to continue Sunday, with a tribute to the Blue Angels planned. The team will not perform, military officials said.
The 2007 team has a new flight leader and two new pilots; Blue Angel pilots traditionally serve two-year rotations.
Kasper said the team would return to Florida on Sunday afternoon.
"We will regroup," he said.
4-22-2007 2 small planes crash off Florida coast
Two small planes carrying a total of eight people crashed in separate incidents off the coast of Florida, authorities said. No survivors had been found by late Saturday.
A Piper Aztec carrying five people crashed off the coast of Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, officials said.
Authorities lost radar contact with the plane at 9:20 a.m. while it was on its way to the Bahamas, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson said. A rescue helicopter spotted the debris about 17 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Johnson said.
Three others were believed dead after their small plane hit a blimp's wire tether and crashed off the Florida Keys, officials said.
The plane crashed late Friday night, and officials were sifting through wreckage Saturday and trying to identify the victims, said Monroe County sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane crash about two miles off the northern shore of Cudjoe Key, Herrin said.
The plane's wing hit the wire at about 4,000 feet ? halfway between the ground and the blimp ? then crashed in about two feet of water. The blimp does not appear to be damaged, Herrin said. A camera trained on the blimp captured the crash.
The blimp is used by the federal government to monitor suspected drug flights and other potentially harmful activity. The area surrounding it is restricted airspace, Herrin said.
9 people died in three separate crashes.
Later today the pilot of the late Blue Angel pilot flying in his first airshow will be released by the Navy.
Condolences to his family and friends.
A small plane flying to the Bahamas didn't make it killing 5 people on board.
A small plane flying in Key West and apparently did not realize they were in restrcted airspace because of a unmanned U.S. Government War on Drugs Blimp had a cable tether 8,000 feet down to the ground.
The small plane clipped the cable with it's wing and crashed killing the 3 on board.
With drugs so readily available, is the blimp really worth it and doing any good?
Poll question added
4-21-2007 Blue Angel jet crashes at S.C. air show
Witnesses said metal and plastic wreckage ? some of it on fire ? hit homes in the neighborhood, located about 35 miles northwest of Hilton Head Island. William Winn, the county emergency management director, said several homes were damaged. Eight people on the ground suffered injuries that were not life threatening.
The crash took place in the final minutes of the air show, said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Walley, a Blue Angel pilot. The pilots were doing a maneuver which involved all six planes joining from behind the crowd to form a Delta triangle, said Lt. Cmdr. Garrett D. Kasper, spokesman for the Blue Angels. One plane did not rejoin the formation.
The show was scheduled to continue Sunday, with a tribute to the Blue Angels planned. The team will not perform, military officials said.
The 2007 team has a new flight leader and two new pilots; Blue Angel pilots traditionally serve two-year rotations.
Kasper said the team would return to Florida on Sunday afternoon.
"We will regroup," he said.
4-22-2007 2 small planes crash off Florida coast
Two small planes carrying a total of eight people crashed in separate incidents off the coast of Florida, authorities said. No survivors had been found by late Saturday.
A Piper Aztec carrying five people crashed off the coast of Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, officials said.
Authorities lost radar contact with the plane at 9:20 a.m. while it was on its way to the Bahamas, Coast Guard Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson said. A rescue helicopter spotted the debris about 17 miles east of Fort Lauderdale, Johnson said.
Three others were believed dead after their small plane hit a blimp's wire tether and crashed off the Florida Keys, officials said.
The plane crashed late Friday night, and officials were sifting through wreckage Saturday and trying to identify the victims, said Monroe County sheriff's spokeswoman Becky Herrin.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane crash about two miles off the northern shore of Cudjoe Key, Herrin said.
The plane's wing hit the wire at about 4,000 feet ? halfway between the ground and the blimp ? then crashed in about two feet of water. The blimp does not appear to be damaged, Herrin said. A camera trained on the blimp captured the crash.
The blimp is used by the federal government to monitor suspected drug flights and other potentially harmful activity. The area surrounding it is restricted airspace, Herrin said.
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