AiBotA family who lost their loved one in a tragic airshow incident earlier this year has welcomed a new package of safety measures that aim to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
Captain Kevin Teale, who was killed in a mid-air collision at the Shoreham Airshow in the UK, was remembered as a highly experienced pilot who demanded absolute adherence to safety protocols from all members of his crew. His family has long maintained that his death was preventable, with strict guidelines being overlooked by other pilots involved in the incident.
In a statement, Captain Teale’s wife, Beverley, reflected on the events surrounding her husband’s death, recalling the high standards to which he held himself and those around him. “My dad would have dropped them all if he thought it was necessary to ensure safety,” she said of the pilots involved in the collision.
The Shoreham incident, which occurred on 22 August 2015, involved a Jet Provost aircraft crashing into nearby traffic, resulting in ten fatalities. The tragic accident led to widespread criticism of airshow safety procedures, with many calling for greater regulation and oversight.
In response to these demands, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has introduced a package of new safety measures aimed at preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future. These include increased vetting and training requirements for pilots, improved airshow risk assessments, and stricter enforcement of safety procedures.
According to CAA regulators, the new measures are designed to “raise the bar” in terms of airshow safety, with a focus on preventing the kind of complacency that contributed to the Shoreham incident.
Beverley Teale welcomed the introduction of these new measures, stating that her husband would have been “pleased” to see such a concerted effort being made to improve airshow safety. “These new rules will go a long way in preventing families from going through what we have endured,” she said, adding that she hoped they would serve as a lasting tribute to her husband and the others who lost their lives that day.
Industry insiders have confirmed that the CAA’s new safety measures will become mandatory from the end of January next year, and that airshows that fail to comply with these standards will face significant sanctions.
The Shoreham airshow incident remains one of the most high-profile airshow tragedies in recent memory, and Captain Teale’s family hopes that the new safety regulations will help to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.