Hunter Crash - A27

Discussion in 'WW2 Museums. Events, & places to see.' started by von Poop, Aug 22, 2015.

  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    brithm likes this.
  2. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    More here.......

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


    One of the most graceful aircraft built (The one in the attachment is as far as I know not the one involved in this incident)
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

  4. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    Not looking good, the A27 was gridlocked around where it came down.
     
  5. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

  6. Shiny 9th

    Shiny 9th Member

    Yes .Seems a risky business to me.Have been cringing under flight paths for Bournemouth Air Show.Red Arrows had a disaster thete a couple of years ago
     
  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    My thoughts are with the families of those killed and the crews working down there in such difficult circumstances.

    Indeed, I hope there's no stupid knee jerk reaction and some stupid new regulations rushed through.
     
  8. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    I just heard the news on BBC and my thoughts are with the relatives and friends of the deceased and injured.

    Flying is inherently dangerous and accidents can and do happen.

    No amount of legislation can prevent such accidents but I do hope that,as Andy as already mentioned, the authorities do not react too severely to curtail airshows.
    Regards
    Tom
     
  9. KevinBattle

    KevinBattle Senior Member

    From some of the still photos, the pilot was still in the cockpit as it went below roof level, obviously staying with it to find the safest (least deadly) area, possibly the river Adur. At that low level, ejection was possibly below the design level for his safety, risking his life to save as many possible in that crowded stretch of road.
    Tragic circumstances and we all hope that 7 is the final total.
    Condolences to all families thus affected.

    The BBC reports state that vehicles were delayed from leaving the airfield yesterday due to the A27 closure, and high roofed vehicles are still being held back as the diversion route only seems passable by standard height cars.
     
  10. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

    Seen a number of clips of the loop and crash - all different angles.

    On one it looked like something small and shiny came off a wing or something attached to the wing; I haven't seen that same clip again so can't confirm. It happened so fast, it could have just been something glinting in the sun or off the camera lens.

    I have just watched the BBC main news and just before crashing evidence of a vapour trail from one of the fuel pods is seen... not sure what that may be or mean yet.

    Apparently death toll now believed to be 11, and the pilot is seriously injured and fighting for his life.

    Tragic!
     
  11. TriciaF

    TriciaF Junior Member

    I think a report on the radio said that there had been 6 major accidents at UK airshows in the last 8 years. Could be wrong, can't find the link.
    We often took our family to airshows, but this was many years ago. The emphasis then wasn't so much on stunts as on straight flying by historic aircraft.
    Someone on a phonein said that originally airshows were for firms wanting to sell their new models.
     
  12. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    According to David Learmount of Flightglobal, ex military jets do not have authority to have their ejection seats available from the point of legislation forbidding the possession of explosives....further the upkeep of availability of the ejection seat requires the utmost technical support.

    I remember a member of the groundcrew being killed at Scampton about the time when the Canberra entered squadron service...servicing was being carried out in the cockpit when the ejection seat fired and the airman was propelled into the framework of the hanger...it transpired that the ejection seat propellant and mechanism had not been disabled.....probably the first precaution carried out now in preparing an aircraft for servicing.

    Looking at the video after the pilot had completed his loop,it crossed my mind why he did not apply power and climb but I thought was there may have been an engine malfunction which prevented this.

    David Learmount further commented that it appears that he left his loop at a lower height than he entered it and may have been preoccupied with a problem at this point when he had little safe height available.

    A tragic event and the more disastrous to have crashed on to a busy motorway with a sad loss of life.
     
  13. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    11 now feared dead.......

    Eleven people are now thought to have died after a plane crashed into a West Sussex main road during an air show, police have said.
    This figure could rise further as police continue their investigation, Assistant Chief Constable of Sussex Police Steve Barry added.
    The vintage jet plummeted into traffic on the A27 on Saturday after attempting a loop manoeuvre.
    Some victims of the accident have been named by their families.

    Read more

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34034430
     
  14. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Another air crash today. Two planes crash at Swiss airshow.

    Two light planes have crashed at an airshow in Switzerland, killing one of the pilots.
    Swiss police said they were two of three C-42b aircraft from Germany, flying in formation. They crashed after they touched in mid-air on Sunday morning.
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/23/two-planes-crash-at-swiss-airshow-basel
     
  15. CommanderChuff

    CommanderChuff Senior Member

    Interesting about the disabled ejector seat, I was on the flight line at the Farnbourogh airshow many years ago when a harrier pilot was parking up having done an amazing display,unfortunately he hadnt pinned the seat handle before getting out and set off the seat whilst standing on it.

    We were at a retirement party over the weekend for a friend who works (not quite retired yet) at Martin Baker, and one our other friends were intending to go to the shoreham show but turned away about an 1 hour before the crash.

    Having worked for 20 years in aviation the comments from previous postings are all relevant to the aftermath of this very sad accident. It is sad that the unfortunates on the ground became victims but we live in a complex world where there are risks.

    May They Rest in Peace.
     
  16. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Thing is... and I hate to be the one to say it, but some sort of change to rules and regs by the chaps who decide such things would hardly qualify as 'knee jerk' after as many as twenty people have died on the ground.
    I think c.30 people were killed in the Farnborough disaster, and my old man, who was there, says airshows changed fundamentally after that, in an age that wasn't nearly so keen to wrap things in cotton wool and where the casualties were voluntary attendees rather than passing motorists.

    Personally I'd be happy if sixty year old jets broke the sound barrier over me while knocking the top branches off quite small trees, but I feel something will shift after this crash with more of a considered and quite likely (grudgingly) justified reaction than any jerking knee.
     
  17. KevinBattle

    KevinBattle Senior Member

    Possibly there may be some considered comment as to whether Shoreham was a suitable site.
    I believe that for many years the airshow has brought benefits to the town and airport, plus many Service charities.
    However, the location doesn't really allow for any east west flying unless contained within a tight airfield perimeter.
    That leaves north south as areas of either fairly open fields or the sea, with a narrow strip of Shoreham in between
    Unfortunately that flight path then crosses the ever busy and often gridlocked A27.

    Bad as it now sounds with 20 and possibly double that according to reports of "missing" relatives and what makes/types of vehicles involved, it may be that from now on air shows will simply be limited to fly bys along any crowd line.

    The victims seem mainly to have been passing motorists and.not those attending the show.
    (Sorry, that's not to suggest that those attending should have been victims, just that the very low risk of something happening would been more understandable.)
     
  18. CommanderChuff

    CommanderChuff Senior Member

    Sure, there have been many welcome and effective improvements to air show display criteria but it is worth noting that the hunter crash happened outside of the display area, that the pilot was ex RAF, and current on fixed wing commerical, and that the aircraft was cleared for display flying (my assumption).

    It seems to me from the posted video online that the engine was being spooled up as it reached the bottom of the loop, so the pilot was in control, and the engine was running, but I think that it was running in down wind to the airfield. With the combination of low height, late engine spool up and running in down wind may have the contributing factors to the accident.

    Let us hope that we dont have another incident anytime soon.
     
  19. CommanderChuff

    CommanderChuff Senior Member

    There is discussion on the Jeremy VIne show at the moment and somebody has mentioned that there was a engine flameout during the dive, this may explain why the engine was spooling up close to the ground.
     
  20. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

Share This Page