Vintage jets have been banned from performing aerobatics over land and all Hawker Hunter fighters have been temporarily grounded in the U.K. following Saturday’s crash of a Hunter at the Shoreham Air Show in southern England. The Civil Aviation Authority announced Monday that “high energy” aerobatics will be outlawed for jet warbirds at most airshows and they will be restricted to flypasts until further notice. The CAA is also going to look at the flying plans for all forthcoming shows to do “extra risk assessments” to see if more precautions are necessary. “All air display arrangements, including the pilots and aircraft, must meet rigorous safety requirements,” the CAA said in a statement. “Individual display pilots are only granted approval following a thorough test of their abilities.” There was no indication of when the aerobatics ban might be lifted but authorities have been quoted as saying the investigation into the accident will take years.
Politicians have stepped into the issue with Labour MP Grahame Morris suggesting that airshow acts be allowed over water only while his colleague Graham Stringer, the former chairman of Manchester Airport, said “there should be a serious look at the regulations with a view to tightening them up.” The RAF Association, which sponsored the Shoreham show, said everything was by the book at its airshow and all safety precautions were followed. “At Shoreham, we have always taken those safety arrangements very seriously,” the association said in a statement. Meanwhile, authorities are now saying the death toll will likely remain at 11 following earlier speculation it might increase as high as 20. Hunter pilot Andy Hill is now in an induced coma as part of his recovery from serious injuries resulting from the crash. His family issued a statement saying they were “devastated and deeply saddened for the loss of life.”
