[Avionics Today 08-24-2015] A number of people are known to have died when a historic military jet crashed into a main road at the Shoreham Airshow in Sussex, England on Saturday, Aug. 22. The Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) reported that the Hawker Hunter was taking part in an air show at the airport adjacent to the road when it crashed on to the highway and ended up in a bush.
The aircraft crashed when it failed to pull out of a loop maneuver; the reason is unknown. As of today, several pieces of the aircraft have been removed from the crash site and the number of victims is expected to rise. The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has swiftly announced restrictions on U.K. airshows following the incident, including a ban on any other flights by Hawker Hunter aircraft.
RAFA and the Air Show released a statement earlier today saying they expect the investigation into the cause of the crash to take “considerable time.”