Jeff Kuss, R.I.P.: Saluting Colorado-Born Blue Angels Pilot Killed in Practice Flight

Just a few months ago, Durango-born Blue Angels pilot Jeff Kuss got a chance to meet John Elway prior to thrilling the crowd with a flyover prior to a big Denver Broncos win at the Super Bowl.

Now, Elway is saluting Kuss, who died in a crash during a practice flight prior to a planned performance at the Great Tennessee Airshow in the community of Smyrna.

In the wake of Kuss’s death, Elway tweeted the photo above along with this note: “Honored to have met @BlueAngels Capt Jeff Kuss, a Broncos fan & Colo. native, at Super Bowl. Prayers to his family.”

This tribute isn’t the only one that’s been paid to Kuss in the wake of his passing on a day marked by another high-profile mishap involving a ceremonial flyover. In addition to the Tennessee incident, a Thunderbird jet deployed during President Barack Obama’s commencement address at the Air Force Academy crashed outside Colorado Springs; the pilot survived.

A July 2014 post on the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Facebook page features this photo of Kuss….

…and the following description:

F/A-18 Demonstration Pilot: Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss, 30, of Durango, Colo., is currently assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 (VMFA-312) Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. He is a 2006 graduate of Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colo.

A Navy Times report notes that Kuss officially became a member of the Blue Angels the following September, and since then, he’s taken part in many high-profile events — the Super Bowl chief among them.

The crash that took his life remains under investigation. But Kuss reportedly maneuvered his stricken aircraft away from populated areas before his death — a topic frequently mentioned in tweets about him. Here’s one example….

God only knows how many lives he saved in Rutherford County by sacrificing his own life. USMC CAPT Jeff Kuss #RIP pic.twitter.com/hFFTEwf3U7

— bianca (@bluegraces) June 3, 2016

…and another:

R.I.P Blue Angel Pilot Capt Jeff Kuss Pensacola has lost one of our own heroes to the end saving lives. #BlueAngels pic.twitter.com/xsk4tF81Yw

— Justin R (@JustinWredick) June 2, 2016

Kuss left behind his wife, Christina, and two children. We offer our sincere condolences to them and all of Jeff Kuss’s friends, family and loved ones.

Here’s a 9News report about Kuss.