Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
Closing the A27 (as opposed to the unclassified road that runs past Old Warden) would have been hugely disruptive.
Correct. However, the traffic lights at the junction were supposed to be at continuous green, with the side road closed off, to keep the traffic flowing, not backed up in a queue with a needless red light right under the 230m display line. Although the risk assessment was weak, this was a stated area of concern but, for some reason between the organisers and the council, this action to switch the lights to continuous green during the flying display did not occur as it had in previous years.
This and many other deficiencies mentioned in the AAIB report, and in some of the expert statements made at the Old Bailey (I did attend for a few days), underscore a poorly regulated, organised, supervised, managed and administrated event. Sadly, these were not reported in the press with the focus on the pilot's f-up which, in the end, sadly killed 11 people.