Today in History – February 18, 1967 – Crash of Blue Angels jet kills pilot on his 4th day of being with the group.

18 February 1967 – The second crash of a Blue Angels demonstration team jet in three weeks kills the newest team member, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Ronald F. Thomsen, 28, when his Grumman F-11A Tiger impacted just 250 yards from the site of the previous accident on 1 February 1967.

Thomsen was killed only four days after he joined the demonstration team.

1 February 1967 – Rookie member of the Blue Angels U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, Lt. Frank Gallagher, of Flushing, New York, is killed while flying (KWF) when his Grumman F-11A Tiger crashes during a practice flight ~16 miles NW of NAS El Centro, California. Fighter impacts in rugged desert terrain on a Navy test range. Assigned to the team only six weeks before, he was the fourth Blue Angels team member to die in an accident. Gallagher flew as the solo in the four-man formation and as number 6 in the full formation.

Source: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1960%E2%80%931969)

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