Last Updated: Saturday, April 21, 2007 | 8:00 PM ET
The Associated Press
A U.S. Navy Blue Angel jet crashed during a South Carolina air show Saturday, plunging into a neighbourhood of small homes and trailers and killing the pilot, the county coroner said.
Witnesses said the elite team was flying in formation during the show at the Marine Corps Air Station when one jet dropped below the trees and crashed, sending up clouds of smoke. At least one home was reported on fire.
Raymond Voegeli, a plumber, was backing out of a driveway when the plane ripped through a grove of pine trees, engulfing his truck in flames and debris. He said wreckage hit "plenty of houses and mobile homes."
"It was just a big fireball coming at me," said Voegeli, 37. "It was just taking pine trees and just clipping them."
County Coroner Curt Copeland said the pilot was killed, but did not release an identification. Copeland said there was a lot of debris at the crash site and described the scene as horrific.
John Sauls, who lives near the crash site, said the planes were banking back and forth before one disappeared and a plume of smokeshot up.
"It's one of those surreal moments when you go, 'No, I didn't just see what I saw,"' Sauls said.
At the Blue Angels command headquarters at Pensacola Naval Air Station, the petty officer on duty said he "had no comment at this time."
The phone rang unanswered at the marine base.
More than 100,000 were expected to attend the air show and the Blue Angels were the main attraction. The elite aerial-demonstration team, which is based at Pensacola Naval Air Station, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.
Beaufort is about 60 kilometres northwest of Hilton Head.
