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Some grim news on Twitter if it's true
Came down on A27 and may have hit cars/cyclists
Hope everyone is OK
I wondered why I kept finding police cars on my side of the road going the other direction 🙁
That's two airshow crashes this month
Hope they're not to many casualties or fatalities, not sounding good though. Very sad
news reporting two dead cyclists 😥
There's video footage of it landing straight on the A27 out of a loop
Fireball and smoke
Seriously tragic 🙁
Grim and sad news.
Shocking! We used to stand right there and watch the show when I lived in Lancing.
Not a pretty picture 🙁
I have 100% completely no sympathy for these air displays for the above reasons.
I have however 100% complete sympathy and sadness for the victims of this tragic but preventable incident.
Words do not describe how angry and riled it makes me to have helicopters and bi planes come down low over my property to the extent I actually wonder if they are going to land.
I even had to phone the control centre at one point it was that unsafe to be inside or around my property.
####### bastads.
It certainly does make you wonder if all shows shouldn't be held over the sea...
Still, bloody grim. Just heard it on the car radio, sounds like gridlock and chaos all in one place.
Very sad.
It certainly does make you wonder if all shows should be held over the sea...
Was just about to post that thought myself.
Should/shouldn't 😕
Still sad. Wonder if the weather has anything to do with it?? It's been 35C at my place today..
Seven deaths confirmed according to the BBC 🙁
I even had to phone the control centre at one point it was that unsafe to be inside or around my property.
Why was it unsafe 😆
news reporting two dead cyclists
Are we not safe from anyone???
Thoughts and sympathies to all involved. 🙁
7 fatalities, 1 serious injured (pilot perhaps as he was taken to hospital alive), 14 minor 😯
It was lined up with the runway which is probably the display line to keep aircraft away from the crowd, but its change of course just before it crashed meant it went straight across a major crossroads/4 way traffic lights.
Shit.. Been sat on the beach with the kids all arvo watching the Dawlish airshow..
Red Arrows were a no show.. Could have been due to the incoming storm clouds but after reading this could have been a mark of respect..
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The A27 there is a dual carriageway in/out of Worthing/Brighton and normally a very busy road anytime of day..
Must have been bloody awful watching it come down 😥
Looking at the Grauniad footage it looks like the pilot spends a lot of time heading straight for the ground rather than pulling a loop.
I was there .
I pretty much saw it all bar the last few seconds. Looked like mechanical failure as no attempt to pull out of the dive/ change trajectory took place .
Rode over from my house , its about 40 miles , in superb weather and along NC2R2.
All going splendidly , arriving by bike helps you to jumps all the queues, wasnt paying as only had afew hours there.
Have been to many airshows , and I knew It was too low . Had time to say to the lady sitting across from me ' Too low for that ' , then fireball .
I am surprisingly effected , almost as much by the people feeling the need to video it on their phones, so left immediatly.
On the ride home saw all the emergency services rushing to the scene .
Then to add another bit of woe came across another paramedic crew and first response/ police working on someone by the side of the road.
It was supposed to be a cracking day out , seeing the Vulcan do a final display and some other interesting planes as well. I did see the Vulcan pair up with a Spit over LHampton , but guessing they did a 'missing man' flypast?
That is a staggering photo. Is it of todays accidents.
Thinking about you Singletrackmind. Not nice thing to witness.
[quote=franksinatra ]That is a staggering photo. Is it of todays accidents.
That looks like the cockpit of a Hunter Trainer above the car on the RHS
Terrible stuff.
franksinatra. That is today .
That is the A27 main coast road , and Northern entrance to the airfeild.
The road is always busy , especialy on a sunny saturday. To make it worse there is almost always some stationary traffic queueing , either fome East/West or coming down from the north to enter the airfeild . Its a main access route into Brighton from the west.
thank you for your kind words , heading out tonight to a bbq and dont feel like it at all.The option is to drink alot of alcohol , and that will not be happening .
Looks like A27 junction too me, I went through there this morning to work and saw the traffic queues starting at 0730, so decided to drive home on the inland route, shit, poor barstards wouldn't have stood a chance. Horrible.
Feeling a bit numb as I'd um'ed and arr'ed about staying and doing another job and just sucking up the A27 traffic past the air show and I'd have been going through there about that time.
Think I've just used one of my nine lives......
1 serious injured (pilot perhaps as he was taken to hospital alive),
How on earth did the pilot get out of that?! 😯
No ejection visible. Looked like the plane hit fairly flat, he'd just pulled it level out of the dive but there was no airspace left. 🙁
That video is heartrending.
Just awful. Thoughts and prayers to all those affected. Singletrackmind hope you are ok mate. Can't imagine what it must be like to witness all that. Seeing the photo above is bad enough.
When we saw the Vulcan over Scarborough at times it was so slow in turns I thought it might just fall out of the sky. My wife was uneasy about the whole thing full stop.
After the crash at carfest I think future air shows may well be under threat.
When we saw the Vulcan over Scarborough at times it was so slow in turns I thought it might just fall out of the sky.
Saw it twice over rural lincs this afternoon, thought exactly the same
No more aerobatics allowed (sadly) should be the rule now
Absolutely shocking, not sure how I feel about that photo, a bit uneasy really.
I though we the UK had some pretty stricken rules about where air displays happen and the orientation they can do maneuvers in relation to the crowd and built up areas infrastructure etc.
I'm sure I heard planes like the Vulcan had extra restrictions on normal flights paths too, to avoid built up areas. Perhaps not strict enough. The a27 seems very close almost parallel to the display area. Which seems to be less than the best idea. And with the sea so close! 😥
The carfest accident as sad as it was, only pilot that lost his life, the location is very sparsely populated but the A303 and M3 are pretty close though.
I do wonder if there'll be further changes to the rules. Bournemouth airshow today spectators were asked to wear red in memory of the red arrows pilot that lost his life a few years back during a display.
I love an air displays and hope they continue but seems like there's been too many accidents in recent years. This one being particularly shocking with the loss of completely innocent life.
Having seen an a-26 invader fall out of the skies at biggin hill, with multiple fatalities, I know how you feel Singletrackmind.
I don't think pilots should be doing tricks in old aircraft. In the case of the invader, the pilot was trying to barrel roll a 40 year old bomber!
hopeychondriact - Member
I have 100% completely no sympathy for these air displays for the above reasons.I have however 100% complete sympathy and sadness for the victims of this tragic but preventable incident.
Words do not describe how angry and riled it makes me to have helicopters and bi planes come down low over my property to the extent I actually wonder if they are going to land.
I even had to phone the control centre at one point it was that unsafe to be inside or around my property.####### bastads.
troll
Terrible news.
I don't think pilots should be doing tricks in old aircraft. In the case of the invader, the pilot was trying to barrel roll a 40 year old bomber!
I would agree - leave the stunts to the modern acrobatics aircraft and RAF jets which are built for it and presumably maintained to much higher levels.
Chance can always rear its head but I feel it's much more likely with 50 year old airframes.
Had ridden up on the Downs too watch the Vulcan with my son.
Saw the crash happen as soon as we stopped.
Dreadful.
Dreadful news.
I was toying with CXing down to the airshow this morning but decided against it.
I'd hazard that the flying route was SW towards and over the main runway. Its actually over sparsely populated agricultural land around there so that is the very worst luck to have come down on the A27.
Thoughts with all involved. 🙁
Dreadful, truely dreadful!
STM I hope you won't suffer with what you've witnessed there.
I couldn't see an eject in Drac's vid. If the pilot stayed with the plane to impact then shows they did all they might have to avoid loss of life.
F#*k !
🙁
That's horrible - shocking photo above.
I was at Biggin Hill in 2001 when the King Cobra crashed and it shook me up for quite a while. Every time I saw a small aircraft, especially one doing aerobatics I got quite shaky. STM, you really have my sympathies...
Another that was there. I can only assume that the only reason the pilot is alive (although in a critical condition) is that I saw the aircraft with tail down as it came down and looks like the cockpit was propelled across the road into the field on impact from that picture.
I'm actually still pretty shook up by it, as is my eldest daughter. Same as STM I could tell it wasn't right but in the split second before it crashed thought maybe it was having to make an emergency landing as it was so low. When it crashed I just knew it had hit the A27 and feared the worst.
My thoughts are with those who lost their life and their loved ones and anyone else feeling as shit as I do right now.
Firstly condolences and sympathy to all those involved.
I was at Biggin Hill in 2001 when the King Cobra crashed and it shook me up for quite a while.
Me too, I was about 300m away from the impact point....and let's remind ourselves that same weekend there were two other separate crashes, one fatal. For me that was the end of air shows despite my love of aircraft. I mean how can you have three separate crashes in one weekend, bloody ridiculous.
It's time to stop air show displays IMHO.
The CAA seem incapable of policing the display flying standards or mitigating safety risks to a high enough level, it's a joke.
6 years ago I witnessed an air display where the pilot of an Extra 300 conducted half the display over a nearby road and the edge of a housing estate, completely disregarding the display line that the CAA had approved in the display permit. I spoke to the pilot after the flight and he mumbled that realised that he had screwed up. I then formally complained to CAA about this and after a chat the nice chap from the CAA admitted to knowing the pilot and that he would have a 'quiet chat' with him and there was no need to cause a fuss etc. old boys network and vested interests and yet this kind of crap continues....
I hope the families of those who died on a27 today throw the book at CAA
....yes I'm angry! What a waste of life
(Fwiw I used to hold a pilots license, instrument and night rating, etc)
I would agree - leave the stunts to the modern acrobatics aircraft and RAF jets which are built for it and presumably maintained to much higher levels.Chance can always rear its head but I feel it's much more likely with 50 year old airframes.
My condolences to all concerned and affected by this awful event. It will be of no comfort whatsoever to them or any one who witnessed this tragedy that they are the first non-participants to be killed at an airshow in the UK since 1952 I understand.
However, some of the reaction here and elswhere is in my opinion, a bit too knee jerk TBH. The word 'stunt' so beloved of the tabloid press is in my view innapropriate, as it suggests that it is a reckless or highly dangerous manoeuvre. A simple loop is neither if conducted properly. Clearly something went catastrophically wrong today.
This Hunter was 'built for it' and was maintained to very high standards and flown by a very experienced ex-RAF pilot.
Some of the 'Modern' RAF jets such as Tornado's are up to thirty years old, indeed were due to be replaced but have been given a reprieve for another few months.
on the other hand Many of the aircraft flying at shows such as Shoreham are much more recently built or have had major overhauls very recently. Many Spitfires flying on the airshow scene are effectively brand new for example.
The CAA seem incapable of policing the display flying standards or mitigating safety risks to a high enough level, it's a joke.
This is a gross exaggeration. IMHO of course
@jimw - I feel it's unacceptable to allow displays where there is a high chance of the pilots killing themselves. That's my personal view and I appreciate and respect yours may be different.
A loop or any flight manoeuvre isn't without risk. The pilot of the air cobra mentioned above was trying to attempt a manoeuvre of similar risk. He died. Pilot error happens.
a ridiculous statement when you don't yet know the facts of what happened, it might possibly be, but it could equally be pilot error.Clearly something went catastrophically wrong today
The air cobra accident would have probably resulted in dozens of deaths if the aircraft hadn't stalled/spun in the (uncontrolled) direction it did. If it had rolled the other way, it would have gone into the crowd without doubt. It was pure luck that only the pilot died in that accident.
Edited to add
Here's a link to the AAIB report for the air cobra crash. The facts (not my opinion) make for worrying reading.
[url= https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422fc3f40f0b61346000933/dft_avsafety_pdf_500062.pdf ]report here[/url]
Skydragon, I am well aware of the risk of any manoevre although they can be and are minimised, and would not argue with you about the Kingcobra crash, but that incident and others such as the Firefly crash at Duxford which I witnessed have changed operating proceedures at airshows.
i understand your anger and regret adding to it if I have done so, but what I was trying to say perhaps it is too early to draw such drastic conclusions so soon after such an event.
Edit: I read the report when it was originally published.
The word 'stunt' so beloved of the tabloid press is in my view innapropriate, as it suggests that it is a reckless or highly dangerous manoeuvre. A simple loop is neither if conducted properly. Clearly something went catastrophically wrong today.
Obviously the semantics are pretty irrelevant in the context of 7 people dying. But is there any practical reason for doing a 'simple loop' in a place. If not then it's done just because it looks impressive. Oxford dictionary for stunt: "An action displaying spectacular skill and daring".
@ jimw - Let's agree to disagree.
Thoughts with those who are left to deal with what has happened today.