LT. CMDR. KEVIN J. DAVIS, call sign “Kojak,” was flying the No. 6 plane with the Navy’s Blue Angels at an air show on April 21 in South Carolina when something went terribly wrong. For reasons still unclear, Davis’s F/A-18 Hornet crashed in front of the crowd of 100,000. Among those in attendance were his parents, Jack and Ann Davis.

Davis, 32, was a second-year member of the Blue Angels. During his first year, he was the squadron’s No. 7, meaning he served as the narrator when the Blue Angels performed, and flew media and VIP guests during single-ship demonstrations. This year, he was the No. 6 pilot, flying the opposing solo plane in demonstrations. Although the progression is not written in stone, next year Kojak would likely have moved up to fly No. 5, the lead solo plane, in what would have been his third and final year with the team.