Former Navy linebacker dies in Florida jet crash
King one of two aviators killed off Key West
Former Navy football player Caleb King was one of two aviators killed in a fighter jet crash off Key West, Fla.
King, a 2012 Naval Academy graduate, was aboard an F/A-18F Super Hornet that crashed on approach to Naval Air Station Key West on Wednesday, friends and Navy sources said. Family members have confirmed his death on social media.
Navy officials said the aircraft was on a routine training mission when the accident occurred, but would not go into further details because a preliminary investigation was still in its early stages.
One witness who lives along the aircraft’s approach path told Military.com the fighter jet may have exploded in midair. Barbie Wilson had stopped to watch the F/A-18 flying overhead when she saw what she called a “massive malfunction” in midair.
“The wings went vertical, and there was a fireball, and it just literally dropped out of the sky,” Wilson told the news outlet. An initial report from the Navy stated that both aviators ejected from the aircraft. Wilson did Caleb King was a standout inside linebacker for Navy from 2009 to 2011 with 31 tackles in his last season. not see either member of the air crew eject.
Initial Navy reports following the crash said that search and rescue teams had recovered both the pilot and weapons officer after they ejected. A subsequent news release from Naval Air Forces Atlantic confirmed the terrible outcome.
“We are sad to report both aviators have passed away,” Said Cmdr. Dave Hecht, spokesman for AIRLANT. “An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the mishap and per Department of Defense policy, the names of the deceased cannot be released until 24 hours after next of kin are notified.”
President Donald Trump offered his condolences via Twitter
“Please join me with your thoughts and prayers for both aviators, their families and our incredible U.S. Navy,” President Trump tweeted.
Both the aircraft and aircrew were from the “Fighting Black Lions” of Strike Fighter Squadron 213, based out of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Word clearly has spread among former Navy football players that King was one of the aviators killed in this particular accident. Several individuals associated with Navy football posted tributes to King on social media.
Kingwasastandoutinsidelinebacker for the Navy football program from 2009 through 2011, appearing in 38 games over three seasons. The 6-foot, 223-pounder started four games during the 2010 season and finished with 28 tackles. He was the primary backup at both inside linebacker spots as a senior and recorded 31 tackles.
King was a 2007 graduate of Warner Christian Academy in Port Orange, Florida and attended the Naval Academy Prep School.