Blue Angels pilot dead in Tenn. crash is a Durango native

The Navy Blue Angels pilot killed in a crash outside of Nashville Thursday afternoon is a native of Durango, Colorado and graduated from Durango High School and Fort Lewis College.

U.S. Marine Corps Captain Jeff Kuss was identified by a U.S. official as the pilot killed in the crash, which happened during an afternoon practice session. The Blue Angels were scheduled to perform there this weekend.

Cpt. Kuss joined the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron in 2014, according to the Durango Herald.

He graduated from Durango High School in 2002 and from Fort Lewis College in 2006. His parents, Janet and Michael Kuss, manage Durango Glass, according to The Herald. His grandfather, Dolph Kuss, coached U.S. ski teams at the 1964 and ’72 Olympics.

Cpt. Kuss was one of several pilots to fly over Super Bowl 50 with the Blue Angels earlier this year. He also was in one of the aircraft in December 2014 when it slid off a Maine runway and got stuck in the mud.

Prior to joining the Blue Angels, Cpt. Kuss trained and flew with several elite Marine Corps and Navy squadrons.

He has received the Strike Flight Air Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, among various other awards.

The Herald also reports Kuss learned to fly in Durango and was flying solo in a Cessna before he even had his driver’s license.

The Navy said Cpt. Kuss did not eject from his F/A-18 before the crash Thursday.