The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are some of the world's most elite pilots. However, a recent tragedy is a stark reminder of how dangerous their jobs are. Major Stephen Del Bagno, the team's slot pilot, was killed during a Thunderbirds practice on April 4 over the Nevada Test and Training Range at Creech Air Force Base, near Las Vegas. The team stopped flying for two weeks after Del Bagno was killed.
PHOTOS: Thunderbird flips on its top at Dayton Air Show
It was the first time the Thunderbirds were grounded since a mishap at the Vectren Dayton Air Show last summer involving Major Erik "Speedy" Gonsalves.
"You're not going to die here. You may lose your leg but you're not going to die and that's what was kind of going through my head at that point," Gonsalves said.
In his first interview since the crash in Dayton, Gonsalves spoke exclusively to News Center 7 reporter John Bedell, who traveled to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, "The Home of the Thunderbirds" to talk to him and the rest of the team.
WATCH: John Bedell flies with the Air Force Thunderbirds
"So the first thing I remember is looking at my left leg and I couldn't feel it so I was like, 'Oh my god is this still attached?'" Gonsalves said.
He did not lose his leg as he had feared when his F-16 Fighting Falcon flipped off a rain-soaked runway at Dayton International Airport June 23, 2017. But, Gonsalves was trapped upside down in the fighter jet along with Thunderbirds maintenance crew member, Tech Sergeant Kenneth Cordova in the back seat.
"I just remember telling (Cordova), 'hey, man the crash rescue guys will be here soon. Let's just sit tight," Gonsalves said.
Driving rain and gusty winds that day forced the pilot to abort his first landing attempt after a familiarization flight with Cordova. "We were thinking about going down toward the Cincinnati area where the weather was a little better," Gonsalves said. "I was getting ready to divert down south when (air traffic control) said, 'Hey it's clearing up here.' So I was like okay, if that's the case then I'll come back in for one more approach."
The rain and wind suddenly picked up again during the second landing.
LIST: Thunderbirds accidents and crashes
"I got a little fast on final air and just landed a little bit long and then started hydroplaning and couldn't really get the airplane stopped," Gonsalves said.
The plane then left the runway and flipped onto its back into the soggy grass and mud. Senior Master Sergeant Trip Bolding, the team's maintenance superintendent, had just gotten to the airport for his work shift with the team.
"I watched (Gonsalves) touch down and I just heard a noise and I turned back and looked and that's when I saw that the aircraft was upside down in the grass," Bolding said. "I immediately ran over to Major Smith who was in a car nearby."
Major Warren Smith, Thunderbird No. 11 and the squadron's maintenance officer, also spoke with us at Nellis AFB.
"I was out on the flight line giving a tour and I was actually in my car," Smith said. "And there was a little bit of shock and disbelief and so as soon as I heard the info, I just stepped on the gas and drove around to see what was really happening. I think I set an Olympic record getting to the jet."
Bolding and Smith were awarded Air Force Commendation Medals for their roles in the rescue. One of the most important things they had to do was disarm the ejection seats. Gonsalves and Cordova were hanging upside down with their heads just inches away from the canopy and the ground.
"If that ejection seat goes off at that point, not only am I instantly killed, but everyone around me is either killed or very badly hurt because that's, I mean that's a rocket motor," Gonsalves said.
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Cordova escaped with barely a scratch. Gonsalves suffered serious leg injuries and broken ribs from where the canopy rail punctured his side. Doctors at Miami Valley Hospital thought he was fine after surgery, but his condition suddenly took a bad turn.
"My wife was there and we're talking and then all of a sudden, I started crashing. My blood pressure dropped. I was white as a ghost," said Gonsalves. His broken ribs punctured his diaphragm and filled his chest cavity with blood.
"The awesome doctors and surgeons out there at Miami Valley told me, they said, 'hey, we need to go in, you're bleeding internally We need to go now,'" Gonsalves said.
After recovering from that surgery, Gonsalves went under the knife for a third time at Miami Valley Hospital. An orthopedic surgeon repaired his leg and ankle fractures and repaired a torn tendon in his knee. All told, he spent a week in the Dayton hospital before he was released.
"It's amazing that something that could have been a lot worse, it ended up being a story we'll tell someday," SMSgt. Bolding said.
This is the story of an incredible comeback.
"I wanted to be strong for the team and I wanted to do right by the guys that risked their lives to pull me and Ken out," Gonsalves said. "So I had a pretty strong motivation to get healthy again."
Corvoda is still with the Thunderbirds team as a maintenance crew member. Major Gonsalves is currently serving as one of the team's narrators but he will be leaving the Thunderbirds halfway through his second and final season in June. He'll be deploying to Osan Air Base in South Korea to serve our country as a fighter pilot on the Korean Peninsula.
The Thunderbirds have now skies and resumed their air show season. The team told News Center 7 that they are looking forward to returning to the Vectren Dayton Air Show and performing here in the Miami Valley in 2019.
