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Post by andypspotter on Aug 22, 2015 22:15:22 GMT
I was eating an arancini in Porto Empedocle when I learnt of the shocking turn of events at today's show. Another sad loss to the cause of Jet preservation.
RIP to those killed and best wishes to those injured.
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Post by andypspotter on Sept 4, 2015 22:51:44 GMT
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Post by andypspotter on Dec 21, 2015 23:36:36 GMT
The AAIB have published their latest bulletin 21/12/15: assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5677d6bfed915d144f000000/S4-2015_G-BXFI.pdfAnd here's the BBC article summarising the bulletin: jet that crashed during the Shoreham air show, killing 11 men, had expired ejector seat parts and an out-of-date technical manual, a report has said. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also said emergency workers had to delay their response because some explosive cartridges were still live. Its report said the seats were a "significant hazard" that delayed rescue teams until they were made safe. The Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 on 22 August killing 11 men. Wreckage from the plane crash was taken to the AAIB in Farnborough in the days following the disaster in August. A final report is still to be published by the AAIB, but seven safety recommendations have been made in the bulletin, which has looked at the safety of ejection seats and the maintenance of ex-military aircraft. The AAIB said manufacturer support for the jet had ended after it was retired from military service, and its technical manual had not been updated. The explosive cartridges for the jet's ejector seat and canopy had expiry dates of June and July 2014, more than a year before the crash. Sussex Police said officers were at the scene immediately after the crash and the issue of the ejector seats arose when victim recovery was taking place and the aircraft had to be lifted. The AAIB report also said investigators could not determine if the aircraft met the requirements of its permit to fly from December 2014 onwards. Valid maintenance record Aircraft that do not qualify for a standard certificate of airworthiness - generally former military or amateur-built planes - are able to operate with a permit to fly granted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). But the AAIB report revealed that initially the CAA "could not determine" if the Hawker Hunter met the requirements of its permit, because of doubts over the validity of the maintenance of its Rolls-Royce engine. It recommended the CAA review its procedures over issuing such permits to ex-military aircraft. A CAA spokesman said it was examining the AAIB bulletin in detail, but stressed it did not contain any information about the cause of the crash. He said the CAA had told the AAIB investigation the jet had a valid maintenance record at the time of the crash. "The aircraft did have a valid permit to fly at the time of the accident and was therefore permitted to operate," he added. Work had been carried out on the aircraft in January 2014 and the next inspection was due in January 2016, the CAA said. The AAIB said investigations would continue and it was still examining the aircraft and its maintenance records to determine its exact condition before the accident. Pilot Andy Hill has been interviewed by police, it was confirmed last week. |
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Post by andypspotter on Mar 10, 2016 15:11:15 GMT
The latest from the BBC (10/3/16): Air show 'unaware' of pilot's display plan
Organisers of the Shoreham air show, where a jet crashed last year killing 11 people, were unaware of the pilot's display plans, an interim report says.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also said they failed to carry out a proper risk assessment.
The vintage jet fell to the ground on a busy road during a rolling manoeuvre, destroying a number of vehicles and bursting into flames.
Andy Hill, pilot of the 1959 Hawker Hunter, survived.
Congested areas
According to the AAIB, the flying display director at Shoreham was well qualified, but he was not fully aware of the sequence of display manoeuvres the pilot of the jet was planning to carry out.
He was not, therefore, able to identify where they would take place, or which groups of people would be put at risk.
The report notes that in a previous display, in 2014, the same aircraft had flown over residential areas several times, as well as performing a steep turn over the town centre of Lancing.
This was despite its flying permit specifically stating that it should not be flown over congested areas and the show's organisers operating under similar constraints. However, the pilot was not told to stop his display.
This report doesn't tell you why the Shoreham jet crashed. That final report won't be out for some weeks yet.
But it will have big implications for air shows up and down the country. It'll mean tougher rules, more red tape, higher costs, better safety and it could also spell the end for dozens of the smaller shows.
Some have already cancelled because of the uncertainty and because of higher fees being brought in by the regulator.
The CAA says the extra cash will pay for more staff to improve safety. Show organisers disagree, saying it's more of a money-making exercise. Both sides maintain that safety is their number one priority.
More than six million people go to air shows every year, making it the second biggest spectator event after football.
Similar breaches
According to the report, investigations have shown that this was not an isolated incident. Similar breaches have taken place at Shoreham and at other venues, involving other aircraft and pilots.
The AAIB is also critical of the way crowds outside the airfield were handled, including at the junction of the A27 where the accident occurred.
This was a site where crowds had been known to gather in large numbers in previous years, and the AAIB says stewards had been employed to ask people to move on.
However, it adds that: "Neither the organisers nor the police had requested or been granted the legal power to prevent people from being in this area and their efforts did not prevent gathering on the A27 junction."
Pilot permits
Further criticism was aimed at the process under which pilots gain their display permits, which allow them to qualify using one aircraft model, then use a variety of others in the displays themselves.
This was the case with the pilot of the Hawker Hunter, who had qualified using a different type of aircraft from the one he was piloting in the show.
The AAIB also notes that the pilot, Andy Hill, had been prevented from completing a display at a different venue in 2014 because the display director had been concerned about one of his manoeuvres.
No action was taken on that occasion beyond an informal discussion with Mr Hill.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for allowing air shows to go ahead and monitoring their safety.
But according to the report, last year its representatives only attended 18 of the 254 displays it authorised. In the United States, the regulator attends every show.
The AAIB has issued a series of recommendations which are designed to make air shows safer in future.
In total, the report sets out 14 recommendations affecting the way shows are organised and regulated, and how pilots are qualified to take part in them.
The AAIB says the CAA should "introduce a process to immediately suspend the Display Authorisation of a pilot whose competence is in doubt, pending investigation of the occurrence".
Responding to the latest report a CAA spokesperson said: "We will now review the AAIB's bulletin in detail and consider all of its recommendations carefully. We will also factor the AAIB's findings into our ongoing review of air display safety, which we expect to complete in the coming weeks."
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Post by andypspotter on Mar 3, 2017 18:37:33 GMT
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