Pilot May Have Been Showing Off, Navy Says

Navy officials are looking into the possibility that the pilot of the F-14A fighter jet that crashed in a Nashville suburb Monday may have been showing off for his parents when, after getting permission from the control tower, he took off in a nearvertical climb, Navy officials said Tuesday.

The plane then plunged into a suburban neighborhood, killing the two crew members and three people on the ground.

Navy officials said the pilot, Lt. Cmdr. John Stacy Bates, whose parents were at the airport to say goodbye, had requested and received permission to undertake a “maximum performance” take-off. The plane takes off under full power and climbs 6,000 feet per minute.