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Old 25th Aug 2015, 13:46
  #327 (permalink)  
Weeeee
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Farnham
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Realism not knee-jerk outrage

Rideforever and others banging on about the A27. Seriously, get real.

Nothing takes away this was a terrible accident, but it is clearly very rare, especially compared to many other [avoidable] deaths that we seem happy to put up with. Crowded tube train platforms but no platform door installation (as per Jubilee line), pedestrians and cyclists mixed in with heavy and fast road traffic, &etc. We put up with the daily toll because of inertia and cost to change.

The approach to the main runway at Shoreham is over the A27 at one end and the railway at the other. In normal operations it is entirely conceivable that a pilot / aircraft experiencing difficulties could plough into either. Unlikely, as there are other choices, but still a non-zero risk. Personally I dislike being on short final over the top of a train. But this is the nature of very many airports in this country, often they started out in remote locations and attracted development around them. As someone else mentioned, look at the approaches from the East to LHR. There is a non-zero risk of a terrible accident in many of these cases. Kegworth air disaster - M1 - very lucky no traffic involved; 777 at LHR, very nearly didn't make it, that would have been very messy for anyone on the ground in Hounslow. Many examples of less good outcomes around the world.

So by all means learn from what went wrong and use balanced judgement about other potential risks, but knee-jerk outrage and calls to "ban ban ban" are over the top. There is risk in everything and sometimes it will bite. 63 years without loss of spectator or bystander, despite the loss of many aircraft and pilots, suggests that we have mostly got it right.
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