HUNT, manoeuvring, vicinity Shoreham UK, 2015

HUNT, manoeuvring, vicinity Shoreham UK, 2015

Summary

On 22 August 2015 the pilot of a civil-operated Hawker Hunter carrying out a flying display sequence at Shoreham failed to complete a loop and partial roll manoeuvre and the aircraft crashed into road traffic unrelated to the airshow and exploded causing multiple third party fatalities and injuries. The Investigation found that the pilot had failed to enter the manoeuvre correctly and then failed to abandon it when it should have been evident that it could not be completed. It was concluded that the wider context for the accident was inadequate regulatory oversight of UK civil air display flying risk management.

Description

On 22 August 2015, a Hawker Hunter T7 (G-BXFI) being operated by private company Cranfield Hunter which had just commenced a flying display routine at Shoreham UK after positioning from its base at North Weald for the purpose, crashed at high speed into traffic on a nearby and very busy public road in day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). The aircraft broke up on impact and its destruction was completed by intense fires in parts of the wreckage. Eleven people on the ground were killed and 11 others on the ground sustained minor injuries. The pilot was seriously injured.

Investigation

A Field Investigation was carried out by the UK AAIB. It took 18 months to complete and a series of interim reports were issued to report progress and make Safety Recommendations:

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