Another air show accident

[Guest]

Hope this isn't as bad as it looks, 3 weeks since the Gnat crash at Oulton Park that claimed the life of Kevin Whyman a Hunter (sounds like a T7 WV372


From BBC :


A Hawker Hunter plane has crashed into several vehicles after coming down at Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex.


Sussex Police said there are several casualties, but could not give details on their condition.


'Casualties' as airshow plane crashes into cars on A27 at Shoreham


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34027260

[Guest]

Saw this breaking on the BBC news website and said pilot taken to hospital , with the updated news it seems a lot lot worse now .

[Guest]

Yeah not looking good

[Guest]

Just seen this and had a look at the news it's not good seven so far


Looks like he did a loop and ran out of height


My sympathies to all those families

[papa 695]

Such bad news.


My sympathy to the families involved too

[stona]

For anyone interested the AAIB's first Special Bulletin (sort of interim report) is available and downloadable on its website here.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-accidents-investigation-special-bulletins/air-accidents-investigation-special-bulletins-the-ten-most-recently-published


No point in speculating, we'll have to wait until the investigation is complete before we might know what really happened, but the bulletin does show what is known so far.


Cheers


Steve

[Guest]

Very interesting report Steve.


Entirely agree about speculating especially as the Pilots story, as


far as we are aware not known, is an integral part of the


investigation to intertwine with all the other info.


Noticed on the news when this report was released a lot of


speculation some from people who should know better.


I am sure what ever the outcome the Pilot and his family will


be devastated. To have people speculating as if the speculation


was fact is atrocious to pilot family and all those families who


have lost one of their relatives.


Laurie

[stona]

It's something the AAIB is well aware of as evidenced by the small print at the bottom of the bulletin.


[ATTACH]118717.IPB[/ATTACH]



Cheers


Steve

[Guest]

Perfect except !


Only criticism I would make there Steve is that that should be in large print as a forward.


Laurie

[Guest]

I've thought ever since I saw the reports on the incident that, whether this is eventually put down to pilot error, mechanical failure or any other reason the fact remains that he was doing a loop close to the ground in a 50 year old aircraft. Irrespective of what may have been the cause surely the initial risk assessment should have stopped this type of manoeuvre from taking place.

[Guest]

May be naive but can the aircaft not perform along the runway ?


In Jersey rules were changed a good time ago. Tinsil stuff was


being thrown out of an aircaft as it passed over the sightseers.


One of the boxes containing the tinsil fell out. Fortunately no


one was injured.


Since that date The Red Arrows and all the other aircraft can


only perform over the sea/sand (depending on tides) bordering


where the audience sightsee.


Nothing has been lost of the spectacle. In fact in my view it is


better performed over this seascape. Why not over a runway


or at least at the side of the sightseers.


Laurie

[stona]

Laurie 'the box' in which aircraft perform and where and how they can fly is regulated. I'm not qualified to comment on those regulations but they are agreed as the conditions of any performance in advance. After the last spectator or 'civilian' loss of life on the ground at a UK air show, which we should remember was in September 1952 (63 years ago), the regulations were tightened and we may see the same again now. That however IS speculation.


Tragic though the events at Shoreham were, and I do not wish to diminish that in any way, attending a UK air show is not exactly a dangerous pastime. Most accidents involve the people flying the aircraft who know and accept the risk they take doing so.


My late mother was at the 1952 Farnborough air show with her sister and the man who would become my uncle. My father was already training with the USN in Texas. She told me they were about 100 yards from where one of the engines struck the spectators.


Cheers


Steve