A beach day in Florida went way beyond what anyone in attendance thought it would. Chairs were out, kids were swimming, and phones were ready for the usual spectacle. The following incident, however, led to a formal Navy investigation and has many folks on the Internet begging the question: How close is too close?
According to ABC News, the Blue Angels reported that a jet went below its typical profile while flying over Pensacola Beach, Florida, early Wednesday morning.
The statement from the squadron went on to say, “During an arrival maneuver, an aircraft flew lower than standard profiles, resulting in a disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas,” and added that the team leadership is currently reviewing the safety incident.
WEAR reported that the jets flew during ‘Breakfast with the Blues,’ the beginning of the week’s Pensacola Beach Air Show.
A video posted on social media captured the jet whizzing so low over sunbathers that the sand, hats, tents and chairs in its path were tossed into the air.
Eyewitnesses interviewed by WEAR described the jet as unlike anything they experienced that week in Pensacola. “I’ve been coming for 10 years, and I’ve never seen a pass like that in my life. I literally thought we were going to be taken out by Blue Angels, but it was amazing,” said one beachgoer.
There have been no reports of injuries.
Internet Reacts to Blue Angels Flyover in Florida
The clip spread fast, and reactions ranged from thrilled to furious. Several commenters focused squarely on the safety risk. “This is how mass casualty events happen when something bad happens,” one wrote. Another agreed with that read, adding, “There’s nothing cute nor entertaining about this behavior. We are all lucky & blessed that nothing went wrong here.”
Others took aim at the pilot and the culture around the maneuver. “I am sure the pilot feels so Alpha male,” one commenter wrote, while another simply asked, “Who thought this was a good idea?”
A third commenter pushed the criticism toward military leadership more broadly, writing that “Hegseth’s insistence on making the US military less professional and more like what a 14-year-old boy thinks it should be will get someone killed with these stunts.”
For now, the Blue Angels have not said when the safety review will conclude or whether it will affect the rest of the show week in Florida.
