08/25/2026
After posting the video of the Blue Angels in Tulsa yesterday for a re-fueling stop it got me to thinking of a Blues crash I witnessed as a young boy. I was five years old, and was at the Lake Charles Air Show at Chenault Air Force Base with my parents and sister. We went every year, both days. Both of my parents were private pilots and our family life centered on flying and aviation. This day was Sunday, July 8th, 1973. The Blues were flying F-4 Phantoms in those days. The two solo airplanes, numbers 5 and 6, were doing their “mirror image” pass when the inverted airplane started to wobble slightly and begin to roll over and under and turn away from the crowd. What I vividly remember was the nose seemed high and there was flames pouring out of both exhaust, maybe afterburners, and thinking I’ve never seen this part before, and my dad saying “something’s not right”. I remember watching the airplane continue to sink and hit the ground. There was an instant fireball and the airplane bounced and hit again and exploded. I remember my dad saying the pilot ejected and watching his parachute descend, to what looked to my young eyes, into the inferno. But he was beyond it and survived with no injuries. I googled it and found this video. It doesn’t show the moment of impact but does show almost everything I remember. I have seen every major military jet act from nations around the world, and believe the Blues are THE best!
(10 Jul 1973) The crash occured during an air display at Chenault A...
