Airshow-related Accidents

Correct David, it is all grist to the mill.

Another example last week, although not technically historic. A USAF Thunderbird F16 had an incident on landing after a flypast, rolled onto its back and broke in 2 behind the second seat.

Not technically at an airshow, but the operation is not just an appearance, it starts the moment the pilot straps in and finishes when exiting the aircraft? Not the opinion of anyone who knows much, just a thought from myself to add to the discussion…

Sounds like you want to cast a big net then – probably have to include any kind of ground collision as a result of going to do a practice display or heading to any kind of event as well then

Technically speaking both had a display connection since both were in the process of a return flight from an event. Having had 55 years as an airshow pilot I can truthfully say that some of my hairiest moments were while positioning to or from an airshow.

Technically speaking the Sea Vixen was landing back after an air display and the French Spitfire was returning home after a flying club event. Neither event is an accident during an air display.

We could argue about the classifications until the cows come home but there is one guy who does it with a huge amount of experience and that is Des Barker in South Africa who has been doing it for decades with examples going back a century. To enable him to have as complete a picture as possible ALL incidents and accidents with an airshow involvement need to be notified to him with as much information as is available.

I guess if they didn’t land in the same condition as which they were before hand.

“This year hasn’t started too bright either, Sea Vixen ,Spitfires. “
Are two of those events Accidents or Mechanical Failures ? Yes, yes 🙂 , it all depends on how you classify an accident, but….

Cheers for the An-22 link CAF-UK: brings back many happy memories.:eagerness:

Just re read this thread ,some old names from the past on here.Unfortunately there have been alot more accidents and misfortune to add to the list.This year hasn’t started too bright either,Sea Vixen ,Spitfires .

TonyT

Here’s video of the AN22 at landing Farnborough in ’88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiheoXf-IEs

Chris

In deed, although I think that anybody who ever went to Mildenhall can forgive me for queuing for ,probably, my third burger! We don’t get catering like that any more, sadly.

Remember not to drink too much coffee before the show starts otherwise you might just have a childish accident if you follow Dave Homewood’s advice. If you have done then just wait for he Red Arrows to start. All eyes will be glued to them and no one will observe you jettisoning unwanted liquid…. and I know…!!!

Yes, the research continues by Des Barker in South Africa. His annual survey of airshow related accidents and incidents data enables me to produce a powerpoint presentation I give to the AGM and Safety Forum of the Historic Aircraft Association each Spring. Other agencies receive copies. The definitive work on the subject id “Zero Error Margin” written by Des and published in South Africa. It is also available on DVD and through the European Airshow Council.

farnboroughrob said:

The Cranfield barnstormers event mentioned previously I was walking to the toilet, or similar. Mildenhall Vintage pair accident I was in the burger queue. Fairford Mi-29’s I was walking back to the car. A couple of years ago I was close to the Brimpton fly-in Tiger Moth crash, but I was walking out of the gate 100 yards away back to the car.

Well it seems you might be the problem here. When you get to an airshow, remain perfectly still until the last aircraft has landed. Don’t turn your back on a display, as you’ve proven above that frequently ends in disaster. 😉

Remember the Russian AN22 that arrives at Farnborough with the engine for the AN124, landed along the display line and did a sharp turn to put it down the runway, was kicked off the airfield post delivery.

from pprune

That’s how we were briefed before its first arrival at Farnborough, but I’m not qualified on it so maybe someone who is would like to comment; certainly every one I saw land at Farnborough requested a visual approach and did about a 7 mile final.
The AN22 which delivered the replacement engine did indeed make an ‘interesting’ visual approach. It was videotaped by a policeman from the tower balcony, (ATC Farnborough may still have a copy in their archives) and I watched it from the same place. We believe it erroneously lined up on the display line markers initially – these were large triangular dayglo markers about 150m north of the runway – and only realised it wasn’t the runway when he was over the airfield boundary. Vis was about 8km and he was into sun. He passed overhead the tower (much to my surprise – I was looking to the left where he should have been) cranking it left, touching down well into the runway sideways on on the left side having done a skidding turn at the last moment. The skid marks were visible until the runway was re-surfaced in 2001.

Piccys

https://www.flickr.com/photos/philbky/5746463324/in/photostream/

It is quite bizarre that I have been at several airshows with accidents but have never actually seen it happen. The Cranfield barnstormers event mentioned previously I was walking to the toilet, or similar. Mildenhall Vintage pair accident I was in the burger queue. Fairford Mi-29’s I was walking back to the car. A couple of years ago I was close to the Brimpton fly-in Tiger Moth crash, but I was walking out of the gate 100 yards away back to the car. I have witnessed several minors at fly-ins but none that resulted in more than bruises to body, and pride.
Living in Farnborough I have seen many of the pre show practices and have been fearful. Remember a Mig 29 getting it wrong with a tail slide over the town center at about 500ft, or so it seemed. However airshow are much safer today because the pilots are more professional, more prepared, and there are stricter rules (even if some are total over kill). I think that no matter how we try and mitigate them accidents will always happen where ever there are humans. A scan of the AAIB website will tell you there are probably 500+ accidents during normal flying for every one at a airshow.

That’s right hampden98, in fact the report for Sir Ken Hayr’s Vampire accident mentions the Venom incident. It was the day before so the formation was only a two-ship during the show proper. I remember seeing the Vampire on the TV news, and reading about all four incidents in a subsequent issue of Classic Wings Downunder.

I’ve never seen an accident at an airshow. The worst was a tailskid failure on a WW1 type, or returning to the field 15min after a nasty groundloop by a WW2 fighter. I do have eerie feelings when seeing aircraft types I know had accidents performing at the same location though – a Chipmunk at Wanaka, a Hughes 500 at Masterton (no fatalities or serious injuries in this link). Sometimes I have moments that I feel are close calls but, without practical experience and no real basis to speculate, have no idea if what I saw was normal/safe.

“Someone earlier mentioned the horror weekend at Biggin Hill where the P-63 and Vampire crashed. That was the same weekend Martin Sergeant died in PL983 in France.”
iirc The Vampire was a three ship with a Venom and the Sea Vixen. The Venom did a wheels up that same weekend I seem to recall?

I just wanted to ask those that have witnessed an accident. Has it changed your perception, behavior at airshows?
I was always at ease watching a display until I saw the Kingcobra at Biggin Hill. Since then it’s always in the back of my mind what can happen
and it spooks me sometimes especially when aircraft go vertical and they appear overhead.
I can’t help it but it makes me jump a little.

I don’t know if the original poster’s friend is still, after almost nine years, doing their research but this thread makes for interesting reading. I’ve been going through NZ and UK reports over the past few days and have learned a lot about incidents I remember seeing on the news, as well as a few that never made it to the TV screen or magazine pages.

Someone earlier mentioned the horror weekend at Biggin Hill where the P-63 and Vampire crashed. That was the same weekend Martin Sergeant died in PL983 in France.

Way back in post #69 my countryman Dave Homewood mentioned the death of Ian Reynolds in his Chipmunk at Warbirds Over Wanaka, to date the most recent airshow fatality in New Zealand. The report can be found here: http://www.taic.org.nz/ReportsandSafetyRecs/AviationReports/tabid/78/ctl/Detail/mid/482/InvNumber/1994-011/Page/13/language/en-US/Default.aspx?