The US Navy has quietly scrubbed the official biography of Marine Capt. Danielle Cribb from its elite Blue Angels website, deepening turmoil inside the flight demonstration squadron days after command ousted pilot Maj. Scott Laux.
Cribb served as the squadron’s public affairs officer. Her military profile vanished from the Navy's roster without warning. Navy brass offered no explanation for the deletion. They declined to clarify whether Cribb remains assigned to the squadron or faces administrative action. And officials confirmed no direct link between her scrubbed status and Laux’s sudden departure. But the timing rattled the aviation community.
Laux, a 37-year-old Marine major flying as Blue Angel #6, was stripped of his post on November 6 after command ruled he failed to uphold team standards.
"Blue Angel #6 was removed from the team for failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron and will not participate in the team's remaining performance this season," the Chief of Naval Air Training public affairs office stated. Military leadership did not specify what standards Laux violated or detail the events that triggered his removal.
Cribb and Laux maintained a close professional relationship. Laux served as her mentor, presenting Cribb with an award celebrating her promotion during an April minor league baseball appearance in Pensacola, Florida. Enlisting in the Marine Corps in 2012, Cribb served operational tours across Japan and Qatar before earning her commission as an officer in 2021. Her decorations include three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and three Good Conduct Medals.
The squadron felt the shock immediately. Laux was absent during the NAS Pensacola Homecoming Air Show in Florida on November 6 and 7, forcing the famed demonstration unit to fly five aircraft instead of its signature six-jet formation.
Laux had previously faced public scrutiny in July after the team's annual "Breakfast with the Blues" event. Low-altitude shoreline flyovers along Pensacola Beach sent tents, umbrellas, and beach chairs hurtling across the coast in dense sand plumes. Laux defended the flight maneuvers at the time, calling the performances a privilege carried out safely. Command never cited that beach incident in his formal dismissal.
Formed in 1946, the Blue Angels represent the premier precision aerobatic unit of the armed forces. Navy officials have yet to name a replacement for Blue Angel #6 or declare who will manage public statements as the flight season concludes.