Team Lost One Of Its Pilots In A Fatal Accident Last Week

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds have officially cancelled their scheduled performance at the Sun 'n Fun air show being held this week in Lakeland, FL.

The cancellation follows a fatal accident last week at the Nevada Test and Training Range which fatally injured Thunderbirds pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bagno. Maj. Del Bagno's F-16 went down during a training flight prior to an air show at Nellis AFB.

The Ledger newspaper reports that John "Lites" Leenhouts, president and CEO of Sun 'n Fun released a statement the day following the accident announcing that "the Sun ’n Fun family joins the whole air show community in mourning the loss of one of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in a mishap yesterday during a training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base. We will dedicate our 2018 show to supporting the Thunderbird family and honoring their fallen teammate.”

Show organizers have been in discussions with the USAF Direct Combat Command to request another type of aircraft to perform at the show in light of the Thunderbirds' cancellation. Sun 'n Fun opens Tuesday and runs through April 15.

(Image from file)

FMI: Original Report