Hawker Hunter crashes at airshow; multiple dead reported

a reply to: Zaphod58

Zaph, why feed the troll? Not only does he not have a clue about which he speaks, but he's also a "freeman" proponent (you can tell from his "consent to statute" mantra) so no actual logical, sensible argument will hold sway with him. He is bent on painting the pilot as a daredevil or suicidal maniac - ignore him and he'll go away.

Back on the local radio news again today as the investigation into this continues.It turns out that pilot Andy Hill had been told off for flying his Jet Provost T5 too low and close to the crowd at the Southport airshow in 2014.This happened on the first day of the display (saturday) and he was told to amend his display for the sunday.It has since been decided that the Shoreham air show will not be held this year.

www.bbc.co.uk...

originally posted by: Imagewerx
Back on the local radio news again today as the investigation into this continues.It turns out that pilot Andy Hill had been told off for flying his Jet Provost T5 too low and close to the crowd at the Southport airshow in 2014.This happened on the first day of the display (saturday) and he was told to amend his display for the sunday.It has since been decided that the Shoreham air show will not be held this year.

www.bbc.co.uk...

I was at this airshow in Southport, and yes, he came really close to the ground at the bottom of his loop. When I came home I said to my wife there was nearly a crash. He was over the beach at this point and quite a bit from the spectators, so I don't think there would have been any spectators hurt due to the direction he was flying. I am going to check my old photo's now, but I am sure I didn't record the incident. To be honest I didn't even realise his routine was cut short.

originally posted by: nelloh62

originally posted by: Imagewerx
Back on the local radio news again today as the investigation into this continues.It turns out that pilot Andy Hill had been told off for flying his Jet Provost T5 too low and close to the crowd at the Southport airshow in 2014.This happened on the first day of the display (saturday) and he was told to amend his display for the sunday.It has since been decided that the Shoreham air show will not be held this year.

www.bbc.co.uk...

I was at this airshow in Southport, and yes, he came really close to the ground at the bottom of his loop. When I came home I said to my wife there was nearly a crash. He was over the beach at this point and quite a bit from the spectators, so I don't think there would have been any spectators hurt due to the direction he was flying. I am going to check my old photo's now, but I am sure I didn't record the incident. To be honest I didn't even realise his routine was cut short.

I don't think it was cut short that day,but on the Sunday he was told to do the display higher and further away from the spectators.

a reply to: Imagewerx

My apologies, I had read somewhere that his routine was cut short that day and returned to airport immediately, maybe I read it wrong. I was also there the next day, and to be honest, he didn't seem much further from the spectators ( although perspective can be deceiving )

a reply to: stumason

It isn't my choice to paint him. He did that himself.

We all know now he was a fool who spoiled it for the rest of you.

More than a year later and the final report by the AAIB was made public today.Part of it suggests the pilot 'thought' he was flying his normal Jet Provost (he had less hours in the Hunter than the JP) and the more agile JP would have been capable of carrying out this manoeuver successfully.

It all comes down to pilot error as he started the manoeuver below the minnimum for aerobatics at a public airshow,with too little power on and below the minimum air speed for such a manoeuver.It is possible the aircraft had a faulty altimeter leading the pilot to believe he had more altitude then he really did have.Also the required preventive maintenance wasn't carried out on the plane's engine leading to a possible problem with the fuel supply system while the Hunter was laid up for a long period.

www.gov.uk...

a reply to: Imagewerx

While ultimately the pilot was at fault, it should also be noted that there were a number of regulatory factors involved as well. They didn't cause the crash, but they created an environment where the crash could happen.

Thought id add this to the thread as a recent news report has appeared. The pilot is in court facing 11 manslaughter charges due to gross negligence. The report also says the jury have been shown footage of the crash

I'll add this link to the story, a slight warning it does contain videos of the crash but it's down to yourself if you click play to watch them. news.sky.com...

A copy and paste from the article:
Tom Kark QC, prosecuting, had previously told the court that the crash was "purely" because of "pilot error" after the aircraft was flown too low and too slow.

The court heard that although Hill was normally a careful and competent pilot, there had been some previous incidents where he had played "fast and loose" with the rules and appeared to have a "cavalier attitude" towards safety.

Mr Kark told jurors that Hill, of Sandon, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, had made a "catalogue of errors" - including:

:: The aircraft entered the loop manoeuvre too slow and did not have enough "energy" to reach the top

:: Hill failed to apply full thrust on the approach to the loop as he should have done

:: The aircraft did not reach sufficient height at the peak of the loop - called the apex

:: Hill made a "conscious decision" to add flap and begin a descent despite not reaching the height needed

:: The plane had insufficient speed at the apex

:: Hill "failed to execute an escape manoeuvre in the time available" but tried to pull through the loop - described by one expert as a "cardinal sin".

His defence lawyer has said:
Defending, Karim Khalil, told the court criticisms made of Hill - a former Royal Air Force instructor and British Airways commercial captain - were "either wrong or misplaced".

He said Hill had no memory of the crash and "may have been suffering cognitive impairment".

He added: "He was subjected to the increasing forces of gravity."

Hill was left with serious, life-threatening injuries and his life was saved by being thrown from the plane before medics placed Hill in a medically induced coma.

He said it would be a "remarkable pilot indeed" who had never made an error.

Hill had responded to making any mistake in a "respectful" manner and was keen to ensure it did not happen again, said Mr Khalil.

Mr Khalil said: "Pilot error does not explain what happened here at all," adding: "He is not a cavalier pilot and not a pilot who, as is suggested, plays fast and loose [with the rules]. Quite the contrary. He did not deliberately fail to take evasive action."

a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

The problem is that while there were regulatory issues related to the crash, ultimately he took the pooch out to dinner and then screwed it. He chose to enter the loop, he chose to complete the loop, and he killed 11 people. If he was impaired in any way, then it's still on him for choosing to fly. No matter how you slice it, he screwed up and now he has to pay for those choices.

Pilot Andy hill has been found
Not guilty

a reply to: blackbird9393

I'm actually surprised to an extent. Not totally, but a little.

it’s terrible I feel so bad for the families


a reply to: Zaphod58

a reply to: blackbird9393

It's ridiculous, and I feel for them.