I assume the AAIB issued this preliminary report early to correct some of the misreported aircraft trajectories in the press. In any event, Shoreham is very tight for fast jets, yet it looked like a well planned sequence, including the necessary vertical quarter (it was more) roll to reposition.
The worry for me is the energy-robbing tight positioning pattern required, especially for a jet weighing about 17 800 lbs (assuming a little fuel in the jugs) and 7400 lbs of thrust, which would have left very little speed margin. The fact that the AAIB reported from a cockpit camera that the apex speed was as low as 100 kts means that the speed margin was well spent. But, if the pilot had achieved more height than planned, it should have been enough to trade for speed, albeit that any attempt to load the swept wing too early would have caused a lot more drag than lift which is the last thing you need in a marginal situation. And it came to pass; the aircraft stalled into the ground.
It leaves me wondering if there was a brief incapacitation of the pilot at the apex?
Irrespective, I am sticking to my guns about low-level pull through manoeuvres in high inertia aircraft like the T7: ban them from airshows.
Last edited by 118.9; 5th Sep 2015 at 11:15.