Pensacola, Fla. – A Navy Blue Angels pilot was killed in a plane crash on April after his F/A 18 Hornet went down near a Marine Corps station in Beaufort, S.C. The crash occurred after an error by Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis when he failed to properly tense his abdominal muscles to counter the gravitational forces of a high-speed turn.

“In his final turn to attempt to rendezvous with the other Blues, he put a very fast, high-G turn on the aircraft. A real aggressive turn,” said Capt. Jack Hanzlik, a Navy spokesman and former aviator.

The reason why Davis lost control of the plane was due to a temporary decrease in blood flow to his brain, leading to disorientation. However, Davis worked to regain control of the plane and in the last few seconds, he realized his low altitude and attempted to save the aircraft, according to a report by Marine Lt. Col. Javier J. Ball.

“Kevin had performed these maneuvers in training and in the fleet. He had done them in similar situations and he had a history of performing them well without any problems,” Hanzlik said.

The Pensacola-based Blue Angels fly without the G-suits that most fighter pilots wear to avoid blacking out during such maneuvers. The suits inflate and deflate air bladders around the lower body, forcing blood to the brain and the heart. However, the air bladders can cause a pilot to bump the control stick, so the Blue Angels instead learn to manage the forces by tensing their abdominal muscles.

The accident at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort was the Blue Angels’ first crash since 1990 and the 26th fatality in the team’s 60th year in history.

The navy has increased its exercise requirements for Blue Angels pilots with an additional focus on abdominal muscles, considering that tragic encounter. The team has also stepped up its requirements for centrifuge training tailored for Blue Angel pilots.

Eight people were injured and some homes were damaged when the plane came crashing in a residential area about 35 miles northwest of Hilton Head Island, S.C.