It takes a village. Or in this case, a tarmac. A private jet skidded off the runway at Biggin Hill this afternoon, and it was the bystanders, not the emergency services, who got the passengers out first.
Windows smashed. Seats ripped. A rescue that looked more like a car wreck than a aviation incident.
The Civil Aviation Authority is now reviewing its emergency response protocol. Ministers are asking questions. The narrative is already shifting.
Was the official response too slow? Or is this just another example of Brits rolling up their sleeves? The official line is that the evacuation was 'swift and effective.
' But the pictures tell a different story. Passengers emerging through broken windows. Blood on the tarmac.
This is a gift for the opposition. Expect a flurry of urgent questions tomorrow. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has sent a team.
But the real investigation will happen in Westminster. Who knew what? When did they know it?
And why did it take a crowd of civilians to do the job? This has all the hallmarks of a political decapitation strike. The transport secretary is already briefing.
The shadow transport secretary is sharpening her knives. The real story here isn't the crash. It's the protocol failure.
And the fallout.
