Red Arrows Bournemouth air show crash

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A recent discussion highlighted the tragic crash of a Red Arrows pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, during the Bournemouth Air Show on August 20th, shortly after a mayday call. The incident occurred following a routine display maneuver, raising concerns about the safety of air shows, especially given the increasing frequency of accidents. The Red Arrows have maintained a strong safety record since 1979, with no fatalities in their current fleet, but this event has sparked debate about whether the pursuit of spectacular displays is compromising safety. Eyewitness accounts suggest the pilot may have attempted to avoid populated areas before the crash, and there are unconfirmed reports of a potential bird strike contributing to the accident. The entire RAF Hawk fleet has been grounded pending investigation, and the community expresses condolences for the loss while questioning the overall safety of air shows.
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We are on holiday in Cornwall and took the kids to see the Red Arrows (Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team) display at Fowey Regatta on Thursday 18th August, which was extremely spectacular, although they couldn't do the vertical stuff because of relatively low cloud.

Today we saw on the news that this afternoon (Saturday 20th) one of them crashed at Bournemouth Air Show (well away from the public), only moments after a mayday. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging (Red 4), was killed.

So far there's not much detail as to what happened, but it's quite a shock.
 
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I read about that this morning. These air show accidents seem more frequent. Are they trying to be too spectacular?
 
I'm glad it didn't happen where your kids would have witness it.

Edit: It must be catching.

[PLAIN]http://media.kansascity.com/smedia/2011/08/20/14/49/MQkE4.Em.81.jpg

One person died today when a small aircraft crashed at 1:45 p.m. at the Kansas City Aviation Expo Air Show at the Wheeler Downtown Airport.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/20/3088150/aircraft-crashes-at-air-show-one.html#ixzz1Vbwx2C9S
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/08/20/3088150/aircraft-crashes-at-air-show-one.html"
 
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Evo said:
I read about that this morning. These air show accidents seem more frequent. Are they trying to be too spectacular?

Red Arrows have had an excellent safety record with no fatalities since they starting flying the current fleet (Hawk T1) in 1979, although they have had the odd accident during training and used ejection seats a few times. This accident did not appear to be related to any form of risky activity - they had just done a downwards "bomb burst" and all of the aircraft were far apart, flying around in long curves well above the ground when some sort of failure occurred (unknown whether mechanical or human), after which Red 4 went down at an angle, hitting the ground after only a few moments, behind a hill from the main air show.

The news reports say there was a Mayday, so if that came from the crashing pilot it rules out becoming unconscious because of G-forces on the turn, although of course it doesn't rule out becoming blind from G-forces. Reports say that the pilot was thrown clear on impact and was found dead face down in the river, and that his injuries were so severe he must have died on impact.

The whole RAF Hawk fleet (about 170 aircraft) is grounded pending investigation.

I was very interested in the Red Arrows in the 1970s; in my school's cadet force I joined the Royal Air Force section and although I didn't get much flying I was very interested in it. I was shocked by the crash and particularly by the fact that I'd only just had my interest re-awakened two days earlier when I saw my first complete display by them (the only one I'd seen during my school days had been reduced to little more than a fly-past because of low cloud).

Anyway, my kids seem to think that flying Red Arrows is a job for dare-devils, like F1 racing, and that occasional crashes are to be expected, so they aren't so concerned, fortunately.

To qualify for the Red Arrows a pilot has to have a lot of experience on front-line fast jets, so in a way flying with the Red Arrows should have been a lot less dangerous than his previous front-line job, and is more related to precision and discipline.

My thoughts go out to Jon Egging's family.
 
This is very sad news; I've enjoyed watching these boys on many occasions, and (as a kid) even had a signed poster on my bedroom wall. It's terrible for his family now, but let's just hope the investigation is swift and conclusive and they're back up in the air soon.
 
Sad news.

Evo said:
I read about that this morning. These air show accidents seem more frequent. Are they trying to be too spectacular?

Two days ago I was thinking, "Its summer and we haven't had any air show crashes. That's odd".

I don't know how many of these shows are done each year but it seems that the accident rate must be phenomenonally high - so much so that I wonder about the logic of allowing air shows.

That scene of the fireball going into the crowd, from some years ago, is still burned into my mind.
 
Living reasonably local to where the crash happened, I've heard rumours that it was a mechanical failure on the plane and that the reason he did not eject was because he was desperately (successfully) trying to steer the plane away from a residential area.
 
Andy said:
Living reasonably local to where the crash happened, I've heard rumours that it was a mechanical failure on the plane and that the reason he did not eject was because he was desperately (successfully) trying to steer the plane away from a residential area.

Immediately after the crash, there were unconfirmed reports that the wreckage contained sufficient bird remains to suggest a catastrophic bird strike.
 

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