Air show safety: Vintage jets not the problem, experts say
Old planes like the '50s-era fighter that came down on a U.K highway are in 'magnificent shape'
The deadly crash of a decades-old fighter jet at an airshow in the U.K. is raising questions about air-show safety, and about vintage planes in particular.
The Hawker Hunter crashed Saturday during the Shoreham Airshow, coming down on the A27 highway. Police believe 11 people died in the crash, while the pilot is clinging to life in hospital.
The aircraft involved in the crash came off the assembly line sometime in the 1950s.
The disaster is raising questions about air-show safety, and about vintage planes in particular. The U.K.'s aviation regulator on Monday slapped immediate restrictions on their use and has temporarily banned all Hawker Hunters.
Flying displays by other vintage jet aircraft "will be significantly restricted until further notice," the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in a statement. The displays will be limited to flybys and "high energy" aerobatics won't be permitted.
A full review of air show safety is underway at the CAA.
But aviation experts say old planes aren't the problem. What's more important is keeping the public away from planes and the path of any possible wreckage.
We have thousands of air shows every season in North America and they go off absolutely routinely.- John Cox, safety expert
"It doesn't matter how old they are," says Jock Williams, a retired Transport Canada aviation inspector. "They're built to a very high standard and maintained … they keep these things in magnificent shape."
Williams says the old planes flown at shows are probably in better condition than some modern jetliners.
He flies one of his own — a trainer from World War Two — and notes that Transport Canada regulations require it to be inspected after every 25 hours in the air, or once a year, whichever comes first.
No rolls, no turns
Equally strict regulations apply to the shows themselves. Transport Canada says aerobatic manoeuvres by heavier aircraft must be performed between at least 1,000 and 1,500 feet (304 and 457 metres) from any crowds, "built-up areas and occupied buildings."
The rules were perfect but the guy didn't follow them.- Jock Williams, retired pilot
A plane cannot do a roll, or even turn, when flying over a crowd.
Even a mere hang glider, when landing, must keep back at least 200 feet (60 metres).
Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. also require shows to be planned so that, if anything does go wrong, an aircraft's trajectory will carry any wreckage away from the crowd.
Crashes that kill members of the public — like Shoreham or earlier, even deadlier accidents seen in Europe — "wouldn't have happened in Canada or the U.S.," according to former airline pilot and crash investigator John Cox.
"We have thousands of air shows every season in North America and they go off absolutely routinely," Cox said.
Breaking the rules
But regulations can only do so much. Although the public is kept back and pilots are kept on a short leash, accidents will still happen.
And pilots sometimes break the rules.
For example, Williams says a crash at the Canadian International Air Show in 1977 happened because the pilot took his Fairey Firefly into the clouds even though he was not qualified to fly by instruments alone. He was killed when he lost control and crashed into Lake Ontario.
"The rules were perfect but the guy didn't follow them," Williams said.
But according to Cox, most pilots know and can work within the limits of stunt flying.
"Working close to ground, doing aerobatics close to the ground, there is an inherent and accepted risk in doing that, and the people who do that know and understand it," he says.
"You do everything you can to mitigate it, but it's something that's been part of aviation since its beginning."
Cox says the combination of regulations, training and "self-policing" among the tight-knit community of stunt pilots has "worked well for decades" to keep air shows safe.
He doubts much more can be done.
"I'm not sure it'd be a good idea or make a lot of changes because the system has worked pretty well."
With files from Associated Press