Weather, Human Error Caused Crash of F-18 Air Show Jet, Pilot's Death - US Navy

The primary cause of a US Navy Blue Angels F/A-18C jet the crash and the pilot's death was pilot error with weather and fatigue as contributing causal factors, not the result of any material failure of the F/A-18C, according to a press release.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The June 2 crash of a US Navy Blue Angels F/A-18C jet and the death of its commander were caused by weather-related factors and pilot error, the Navy said in a press release on Friday.

"The primary cause of the crash and the pilot's death was pilot error with weather and fatigue as contributing causal factors, not the result of any material failure of the F/A-18C," the Navy stated in the release.

The crash killed US Marine Corps Capt. Jeff Kuss, 32, who at the time was practicing for a Blue Angels air show in the US state of Tennessee.

An investigation by the Navy’s judge advocate general was completed this week, the release noted.

The Blue Angels, as the Navy's flight demonstration team, perform regularly at military air shows in the United States.