COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A Thunderbird F-16 jet crashed after a flyover at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony where President Obama spoke Thursday.
A spokesman for the academy said the plane went down far from the stadium, and the pilot, a member of the Air Force’s Thunderbirds demonstration team, safely ejected.
Only the pilot was on board, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
There were no reported casualties on the ground, though the plane was badly damaged, said Robb Lingley of the Peterson Air Force Base public affairs department.
The crash happened shortly after President Obama addressed more than 800 cadets and a crowd of roughly 28,000 people at Falcon Stadium.
Obama met with the pilot, according to a statement from Press Secretary Josh Earnest:
“Upon arrival at Peterson Air Force Base, the President visited briefly with the Thunderbird pilot whose aircraft crashed earlier today. The President thanked the pilot for his service to the country and expressed his relief that the pilot was not seriously injured. The President also thanked the first responders who acted quickly to tend to the pilot.”
This is the second time since 2012 that President Obama has spoken at an Air Force graduation ceremony.
Hours later, in an unrelated incident, a U.S. Navy Blue Angels F/A-18 crashed in Smyrna, Tennessee, during practice for an upcoming air show, Navy spokeswoman Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld said.
