Hawker Hunter plane has crashed during an airshow in Shoreham-By Sea, West Sussex

[BIGNEWY]

British Air Display Association - Information Note following Shoreham Airshow Accident on 22nd August 2015

 

 

 

http://www.bada-uk.com/2015/08/information-note-following-shoreham-airshow-accident-on-22nd-august-2015/

[Python]

That seems like a very balanced and fair comment on their part. Here is a little article written about it that also makes some valid points...

 

 

http://vintageaeroplanewriter.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/uk-airshow-safety.html

[Holbeach]

Can Shoreham airshow survive this carnage?

 

They're still searching and finding bodies in the surrounding wooded area, 20 at the moment.

I spent most of my life in this area and gained my pilot licence at this airfield and have enjoyed airshows there. Many of the local population, including my relatives living near the pub, have always been nervous on airshow weekends and that is bound to escalate.

Only 8 years ago a Hawker Hurricane performed the same manoeuvre with the same result and hit the ground close to the same spot.

The Hunter wreckage is being lifted at this moment and the miracle is, the pilot actually survived this mess.

 

Can Shoreham airshow survive ?

I doubt it.

 

 

..

[Jacks]

I think shoreham can recover from this but I think it is unlikely that will want to run an airshow for a few years plus liability insurance will be hard to get for a descent price. I think if they did put on an airshow, people will still come as aviation will always inspire and the public will think that shorehams procedures will be tighter than ever. I think shoreham will run similar events in the future as they ante an essential source of income for airfields although they are a risky business since you risk a loss if the weather is terrible.

 

I think this will have duxford worried with the M11 running very close to the eastern threshold. I am always concerned about my height over the motorway when on final approach there.

 

This is a terrible accident which acts as a reminder just how dangerous aviation still is.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Jacks

[BIGNEWY]

BBC News today

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34044383

 

 

Vintage jets will not be allowed to perform "high-energy aerobatics" over land at air shows after the Shoreham crash, regulators have said.

The Civil Aviation Authority said such planes would be "limited to flypasts", and all Hawker Hunter jets have been temporarily grounded.

[Python]

Interesting catch, the up-loader said he saw white smoke from the Hunter. Could be that it is just vapour which is my first thought, but maybe not...

 

 

[Pilotasso]

with such G's that could be just the vapour trails.

[airdoc]

If you look closely at the HD video uploaded in youtube, at 00:30'-00:31' a small vapor trail makes its appearance, coming from the right wing tank (or is it something else?). His flaps are also lowered a bit from at least the peak of the loop. It seems as if the elevators are not deflected upwards at 00:31.

 

Overall, it looks as if the pilot started the loop very low and kept diving for too long during the final part before he pulled up. The plane's elevators did respond but it was too late and the plane impacted with the belly on the road with a relatively small vertical speed, that's why he survived. He probably would have made it if he had another 100 feet of altitude.

 

Edited August 24, 2015 by airdoc

[DarkFire]

Terrible news and a horrible loss of life. I hope that those who have been hospitalised make a speedy and full recovery.

 

As others have commented, maybe it's time to re-evaluate what those old aircraft are really capable of doing so far past their intended life spans.

 

A very sad year for airshow accidents all over the world :(

[Vampyre]

Terrible news and a horrible loss of life. I hope that those who have been hospitalised make a speedy and full recovery.

 

As others have commented, maybe it's time to re-evaluate what those old aircraft are really capable of doing so far past their intended life spans.

 

A very sad year for airshow accidents all over the world :(

 

From watching the video and knowing a bit about aircraft, I would not be surprised if the accident investigation team concludes the cause of the incident to be pilot error.

The Hunter is a well built machine, even so it is doubtful that they would be throwing around an expensive machine like that if it was close to or beyond its flight hours limit. The pilot was pulling very hard at the end as evidenced by the wing wobble just before impact. The wing wobble was caused by exceeding the critical AOA for the Hunter. That tells me the controls were, more likely than not, operating as advertised.

 

Condolences to the families that lost loved ones that day.

[Skjold]

R.I.P to those that died.

[bongodriver]

Terrible news and a horrible loss of life. I hope that those who have been hospitalised make a speedy and full recovery.

 

As others have commented, maybe it's time to re-evaluate what those old aircraft are really capable of doing so far past their intended life spans.

 

A very sad year for airshow accidents all over the world :(

 

Aircraft are not allowed to fly beyond the manufacturer specified life spans, all flying vintage aircraft are operating within their fatigue life indexes, not all aircraft even have a manufacturer imposed limit.

What happened to this Hunter does not appear to be a structural failure and therefore is not likely to be a factor of it's age, in some cases civilian owned and operated ex military jets are less worn out than the Hawks the Red Arrows are flying.

[Python]

Maybe there was more to the white trail than it just being vapour? This does appear to be coming from the nozzle area.

 

 

[Pilotasso]

I don't know the hawker hunter in detail but wheres the fuel and oil drain located?

 

Every military aircraft can dump fuel overboard when the fuel control is challenged during engine regime changes (specially mechanical ones).

[Holbeach]

I watched a video I made of this Hunter in 2013 and nowhere did I see a loop attempted of this type.

He always performed a roll off the top into a curving descent to pass in front of the crowd line, which is in this case is a line across the front of the buildings.

 

 

..

[IvanK]

pictures seem to show the Hunter had it's flaps down the entire way through the loop.

 

One stage of flap (A la combat flap) is pretty much SOP for Hunter manoeuvring flight. Have look at some of the classic air to air formation shots (like the 22 aircraft loop) Half flap is often seen.

[bongodriver]

I thought 1st stage of flap was quite small, 15 degrees on a Hunter I heard, I have seen pictures of Hunters looping with and without flaps, I just thought the flap setting on this hunter looked a bit excessive, of course we will all get to find out in due course.

[BIGNEWY]

Air Accidents Investigation Branch report

AAIB investigation to Hawker Hunter T7, G-BXFI

 

Summary:

The AAIB was notified of the accident at 1235 hrs on Saturday 22 August 2015 and immediately initiated a Field Investigation. The aircraft was taking part in an air display at Shoreham Airport during which it conducted a manoeuvre with both a vertical and rolling component, at the apex of which it was inverted. Following the subsequent descent, the aircraft did not achieve level flight before it struck the westbound carriageway of the A27.

 

This Special Bulletin is published to provide preliminary information gathered from ground inspection, radar data, recorded images and other sources.

 

https://www.gov.uk/aaib-reports/aaib-investigation-to-hawker-hunter-t7-g-bxfi