Such Maneuvers Had Been Prohibited During Airshows Following Accident In Shoreham In August

A spokesman for the U.K.'s CAA says the agency is investigating a possible illegal maneuver allegedly performed by the crew of the last known flying example of a Vulcan bomber.

The BBC reports that the spokesman said that the maneuver, which was captured in video by an amateur photographer on October 4, "did not occur during an air display. Although not normally allowed under its current permissions to fly, a roll is a benign maneuver and the Vulcan's maintenance support organization has confirmed that the aircraft is safe to fly."

The video does appear to show the Vulcan performing a roll maneuver. The CAA spokesman said that the restrictions put in place following the Shoreham accident were mainly applicable to air displays.

The Vulcan is being retired by its  Leicestershire-based charity Vulcan to the Sky Trust. On its website, the Trust said "having evaluated a great many factors, the three expert companies on whom we depend – BAE Systems, Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group and Rolls-Royce, together known as the ‘technical authorities’ - have collectively decided to cease their support at the end of this flying season. Without that support, under Civil Aviation Authority regulations, we are prohibited from flying." It made its last flying appearance on October 28.

The BBC reports that the Sky Trust said it is cooperating fully with the CAA investigation.

(Top image from amateur video. Bottom image from file)

FMI: www.vulcantothesky.org