Navy Blue Angels’ low-level flyover stuns Florida beachgoers

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The U.S. Navy Blue Angels is reviewing an unusually low flyover at Florida’s Pensacola Beach on Wednesday after jets sent tents and umbrellas flying during the popular air show event.

The incident took place during the annual “Breakfast with the Blues” flyover, which is part of Pensacola Beach Air Show Week. There, the Navy’s flight demonstration squadron made a low pass over the shoreline.

Video shared by USA Today showed sand billowing into the air as beach chairs and other equipment blew across the beach from the thrust of the jet’s engines, sending some spectators scrambling for cover.

Beach gear was also seen hitting several people, according to videos circulating on social media. The extent of any injuries, if any have occurred, has not been confirmed.

Blue Angels leadership is reviewing the unusually low flyover show.

“The safety of our hometown community, spectators, and our pilots is our highest priority,” a Blue Angels spokesperson said in a statement to WEAR News.

“Team leadership is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the maneuver and conducting a thorough safety review to ensure all operations adhere to strict Navy and FAA safety standards.”

Several witnesses described the flyover as the closest one they had ever seen.

“I’ve been coming for 10 years and I’ve never seen a pass like that in my life,” one beachgoer told WEAR News. “I literally thought we were going to be taken out by Blue Angels, but it was amazing.”

The Blue Angels, based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, have performed their annual flyover event at Pensacola Beach for decades. Their demonstration has become a longstanding tradition over the past 80 years and is reported to draw as many as 250,000 spectators to the shoreline every year.

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