Blue Angels commander calls beach flyover ‘unsafe’

The commander of the Navy’s elite Blue Angels demonstration team confirmed Thursday that a flyover of a crowded beach the day before was “unsafe” by the team’s safety standards. Jet blast from the pass on Wednesday over a Pensacola, Florida beach sent chairs and umbrellas tumbling, according to a Navy spokesperson.

The team leader’s comments came the morning after the pass. Later in the day, senior civilian military leaders began circulating social media posts that celebrated the low flyover.

“The pilot found himself, unfortunately, in a situation that we would deem unsafe over the beach,” Navy Capt. Adam Bryan told reporters Thursday. “We never intend to fly over the crowd that low, and we’ll heavily debrief it to ensure that, one, we continue on with safe flight demonstrations, and that we learn from those different things that happen.”

Bryan, who has commanded the Blue Angels since April 2024 and was the 2016 Naval Air Force Atlantic Pilot of the Year, did not say if the flight status of the pilot who made the pass had changed after the incident, but said the maneuver would get a “heavy look” in the team’s normal debriefing and review process.

The jet’s pass came during an “arrival” maneuver over Pensacola, Florida, and was captured on video by dozens of beach goers. The maneuver came during an early flight in the Red, White and Blues air show, an annual three-day event featuring dozens of planes performing over the city’s beaches, with flights by the Blue Angels as its centerpiece.

Pentagon responds with ‘Carry on, Patriots’

Bryan made clear his comments were his own and focused on flight procedures within the team. Separately, a series of celebratory memes of the flight later spread from senior military leaders and officials at the White House.

A meme from a Defense Department account posted “Carry on Patriots” over a photo of the Navy F/A-18 directly over the crowd. The phrase has become a go-to response for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for questions…