Blue Angels flyover: 'No reprimands. No firings. No problem,' acting Navy secretary says
No one from the U.S. Navy's elite Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron will be reprimanded or face punishment after a low-altitude pass on Pensacola Beach on Wednesday morning, acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said.
"Flight debrief complete. No reprimands. No firings. No problem. That’s the sound of Freedom! Semper fi and Hooyah," Cao said in a social media post that included a brief video clip of the jet zooming over the beach.
On Wednesday, officials with the Blue Angels said they were conducting a review after social media footage showed the jet flying low over a crowd of beachgoers.
"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 statement said, calling it a "low-altitude pass."
In the statement, the Blue Angels said team leadership was reviewing the "circumstances surrounding the maneuver and conducting a thorough safety review to ensure all operations adhere to strict Navy and FAA safety standards."
North Florida ABC affiliate WEAR reported the flyover happened during a "Breakfast with the Blues" event.
"I've been coming for 10 years and I've never seen a pass like that in my life," Ashley Korn told WEAR. "I literally thought we were going to be taken out by Blue Angels, but it was amazing."
