The Navy\u2019s top official said on Thursday that there would be no consequences after a Blue Angels fighter jet buzzed a packed beach in Pensacola, Fla., this week, causing beach gear to scatter and both delighting and alarming witnesses on the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlight debrief complete,\u201d Hung Cao, the acting secretary of the Navy, said in a social media post<\/a> accompanied by a video of the flyby. \u201cNo reprimands. No firings. No problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the sound of Freedom!\u201d Mr. Cao added.<\/p>\n The Blue Angels perform in demonstrations across the country to highlight the capabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps aviators. Blue Angels shows involve pilots flying group formations and solo maneuvers in six F\/A-18 Super Hornets and one Marine Corps aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules, or \u201cFat Albert.\u201d<\/p>\n The flyby on Wednesday was a scheduled practice ahead of the Pensacola Beach Air Show this weekend, which will culminate on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Blues will throw in some screaming high-rev crowd-pleasers during the morning flight,\u201d according to a blog post<\/a> describing the practice event.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, videos circulated on social media of a maneuver over the beach, which is near the Blue Angels\u2019 home base in the Florida Panhandle. One jet passed well above the shore followed by a second that uprooted tents, shook beachgoers and sent towels and umbrellas flying across the beach<\/a>. Many onlookers cheered and clapped.<\/p>\n After the videos began to circulate, the Blue Angels announced a safety review.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring an arrival maneuver, an aircraft flew lower than standard profiles, resulting in a disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas,\u201d according to an emailed statement first released on Wednesday. \u201cThe safety of our hometown community, spectators and our pilots is our highest priority. Team leadership is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the maneuver and conducting a thorough safety review to ensure all operations adhere to strict Navy and F.A.A. safety standards.\u201d<\/p>\n Early on Thursday, and before Mr. Cao\u2019s announcement, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed to dismiss the review in a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe flyovers will continue until morale improves,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Later in the day, a White House social media post<\/a> with an illustration of a Blue Angels jet included the statement, \u201cIt\u2019s okay to love America.\u201d<\/p>\n There has been a familiar pattern in other recent close passes by military aviators. Each has prompted public concern and review, followed by sharp responses from the defense secretary or White House that absolved the aviators of any claim of misconduct.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, eight pilots were suspended by the South Carolina National Guard after a close pass above a beach there in Apache helicopters. The Defense Department promptly lifted the suspensions.<\/a><\/p>\n And in March, two Apache helicopters flew low over a mansion<\/a> in Nashville owned by the musician Kid Rock. Mr. Hegseth shut down an investigation after that event as well.<\/p>\n The Blue Angels have experienced tragedy in the recent past, including the death in 2016 of a Marine Corps pilot, Capt. Jeff Kuss, 32. His jet crashed<\/a> during a practice flight in Tennessee. An investigation concluded that the pilot attempted the maneuver too low to the ground and at too high of a speed, leading to a loss of control.<\/p>\n It is not unusual for the Blue Angels to pass close to the ground, with pilots sometimes engaging in maneuvers like a \u201csneak pass\u201d that can go as low as 50 feet above ground level according to the 2026 Blue Angels Maneuvers Manual.<\/a><\/p>\n In its guidance for that maneuver, the manual defines maximum and minimum heights that the flights can go, with specific distances from spectators.<\/p>\n John Ismay contributed reporting.<\/p>\n