Photo by @keirstanding
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has released a statement in response to the Shoreham jet crash which occurred on Saturday.
The authority says it will see if any improvements can be made to the current safety requirements.
At least 11 people were killed when the jet failed to complete a loop-the-loop during an aerial display. The Hawker Hunter jet crashed into the A27 in West Sussex. The number of deaths is expected to rise.
Investigators are currently determining the cause of the accident.
A CAA spokesperson said: “The thoughts of everyone at the CAA remain with all of those affected by the tragic accident at the Shoreham Airshow on Saturday 22 August. We will be offering every assistance to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch as it seeks to establish the cause in the coming weeks.
“The safety standards that must be met by all major civil air displays in the UK are among the very highest in the world. All air display arrangements, including the pilots and aircraft, must meet rigorous safety requirements. Individual display pilots are only granted approval following a thorough test of their abilities.
“All aviation safety requirements are regularly reviewed to ensure they provide the highest possible levels of protection. Events of this nature are very rare, but we will now thoroughly examine the circumstances to establish if further improvements can be made. We immediately commenced our review processes and remain committed to continuously enhancing the safety of all civil aviation and will provide further updates in the days to come.”
There have been calls from a victim’s family member and MPs to review the safety requirements for aviation shows. Sue Grimstone, whose son Matthew was killed, said: “Air shows should be over the sea. It should never have been over that road.”
The Royal Air Forces Association said in a statement: “At Shoreham we have always taken those safety arrangements very seriously. The team at Shoreham have many years of experience in running air shows throughout the UK and all aircraft have to be certificated and all pilots authorised by the CAA before they are allowed to undertake display routines at any air show. The air show itself has to meet rigorous safety standards that are laid down by the CAA who review these on an ongoing basis.
“We will not be commenting further upon the circumstances surrounding Saturday’s tragic events and the wider arrangements for air shows until the current investigation has been completed.”
UPDATED: The CAA has announced restrictions on UK air shows. These are temporary measures to give authorities time for a thorough review:
