N591UA taxiing on September 8, 2001, three days before the plane
was hijacked.

United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight hijacked by
four Al-Qaeda terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks. It crashed into a
field near Indian Lake in Shanksville,Pennsylvania during an attempt by the
passengers and crew to regain control, killing all 44 people aboard including
the four hijackers. No one on the ground was injured. The aircraft involved, a
Boeing 757–222 (shown above), was flying United Airlines‘ daily scheduled
morning flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco
International Airport in California.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (right) visits the site where Flight 93 crashed, following a ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., Sept. 11, 2012.

ROSS SIMPSON

MIKE GRACIA

SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) – A pilot was killed after a U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet
crashed Thursday afternoon in Smyrna ahead of the Great Tennessee Airshow
this weekend.

The F/A-18 aircraft crashed at 3 p.m. behind the Sam Davis Home, about 2 miles
from the runway, while practicing for the now-cancelled demonstration. Authorities arrived within minutes.

The U.S. Navy confirmed the pilot died in the crash. While military officials have
not identified the pilot, the Associated Press said it is Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss
(shown above).

Kuss is said to have maneuvered his jet away from populated areas when he
crashed, possibly saving lives before he was killed.

During its history, 27 Blue Angels pilots have been killed in air show or training
accidents.