Hundreds of family and friends gathered for a prayer vigil in honor of Major Stephen “Cajun” Del Bagno, who was killed when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed over the Nevada Test and Training Range on April 4, 2018 at approximately 10:30 a.m. during a routine aerial demonstration training flight.

Before joining the Air Force, Del Bagno was a civilian flight instructor, corporate pilot, skywriter, and a banner tow pilot.

He enjoyed snowboarding, water sports and spending time with family and friends. Prior to joining the Thunderbirds, Del Bagno served as an F-35A Evaluator Pilot and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.

He has logged more than 3,500 total flight hours in over 30 different aircraft, with 1,400 hours as an Air Force pilot. Del Bagno was in his first season with the team and hails from Valencia, Calif.