Blue Angels pilot who died in crash served in Beaufort

The Blue Angels pilot who died during after a training flight crash Thursday in Tennessee had served in Beaufort.

Capt. Jeff Kuss, 32, was killed when his F/A 18 Hornet crashed in Smyrna, Tenn., while preparing for an air show, according to the Associated Press.

Kuss was part of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort before joining the famous aerobatic team. He was selected for the Blue Angels from Beaufort in 2014.

“I have always wanted to be a part of the Blue Angels,” Kuss said in a release at the time. “It has always been a goal of mine.”

Kuss was assigned to VMFA-312 in Beaufort in 2011. In July 2013, he was deployed aboard the USS Harry S. Truman as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

He was one of three F/A 18 pilots selected to join the volunteer team for the 2015 air show season.

“Who wouldn’t want to fly one of those?,” he said at the time. “There is nothing like it.”

Kuss was a Durango, Colo., native. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 2006.

The Blue Angels are made up of 16 volunteer officers. The group has been performing since 1946.

Kuss’ death was the 27th fatal crash for the Blue Angels. The most recent was in 2007, when Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis died after crashing during the MCAS Beaufort Air Show.

This story will be updated.

This story was first published by The Island Packet of Hilton Head, SC.

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Blue Angels pilot who died in crash served in Beaufort."