U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds exhibition team officially cancels appearance at Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds exhibition team has officially canceled its appearance at the Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In this week following the death of pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bagno during a routine training flight on the 4th April 2018.
Del Bagno died when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed over the Nevada Test and Training Range and an investigation is now being conducted into the cause of the crash.
“The Sun ’n Fun family joins the whole air show community in mourning the loss of one of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in a mishap yesterday during a training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base,” John “Lites” Leenhouts, president and CEO of Sun ’n Fun, said in a statement. “We will dedicate our 2018 show to supporting the Thunderbird family and honoring their fallen teammate.”
