Shoreham Airshow crash victims were unlawfully killed, coroner rules

West Sussex's senior coroner has concluded that 11 men who died in the Shoreham Airshow disaster were unlawfully killed.

They were killed when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed onto the A27 on August 22nd, 2015, when a loop manoeuvre went wrong.

13 other people were injured in the disaster, including the pilot, Andrew Hill.

Penelope Schofield brought proceedings to a close in Horsham on Tuesday (December 20th), more than seven years on from the disaster and following a number of delays linked to the criminal trial of Mr Hill, and the coronavirus pandemic.

She said:

"The crash occurred because the aircraft's speed on entry into the manoeuvre was too slow and the thrust applied by the pilot in the upward half of the manoeuvre was insufficient.

"The aircraft did not achieve sufficient height at the apex of the manoeuvre to complete it before impacting the ground because the combination of low entry speed and low engine thrust in the upward half of the manoeuvre.

"Despite the aircraft being significantly short of the minimum apex height to complete the manoeuvre safely, the pilot did not perform an escape manoeuvre.

"The deaths occurred because the aircraft crashed on the A27 due to a change of ground track during the manoeuvre which positioned the aircraft further east than planned, producing an exit track along the dual carriageway."

"Eleven innocent lives were cruelly lost, lives that were cut too short. This huge loss will be borne by their families for the rest of their lives."

A number of the victims' family members were present and were in tears as the conclusion was delivered at County Hall.

Mr Hill was charged with 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence but found not guilty on all counts in March 2019. He maintains he has no recollection of the crash.

He was not called as a witness, having submitted evidence to the investigation.

Mr Hill's request at the pre-inquest review in September for Ms Schofield to rule out a verdict of unlawful killing was denied.

The 11 victims were Anthony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; Daniele Polito, 23, from Goring-by-Sea; Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton; Jacob Schilt, 23, from Brighton; James Mallinson, 72, from Newick; Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford; Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; Matthew Grimstone, 23, from Brighton; Matthew Jones, 24, from Littlehampton; Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove.

Outline of what happened

On August 22nd, 2015, 11 men died and several others were injured when a Hawker Hunter jet carried out a loop-the-loop display before crashing onto the busy A27 in the UK’s deadliest airshow incident for 50 years.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded the plane was flying too slow and at an insufficient height for the aerial manoeuvre to be safely performed.

Witness accounts described seeing a ‘massive fireball’ with some claiming to have initially thought the explosion was part of the show.

The pilot, Andrew Hill, was charged with 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence in relation to each of the men who died.

Mr Hill maintains he has no recollection of the crash, and a jury found him not guilty following a trial in 2019.

Inquest delayed for seven years

The inquest into the deaths of the 11 men who died was originally opened in September 2015 but faced several obstacles and delays due to the criminal trial of Mr Hill and the pandemic.

Speaking at the opening of the inquest, West Sussex senior coroner, Penelope Schofield, apologised to families for their wait and expressed her “deepest regret” over the impact it has had on them.

Law firm Stewarts represented seven of the families who lost loved ones in the disaster.

Sarah Stewart, partner in the aviation department, previously said: “This is the last step in a long road to justice and truth for the families of those killed in the Shoreham Airshow disaster.

“After seven years, they are finally about to get some answers on how this disaster happened.

“The coroner’s conclusions will not bring their loved ones back, but there will be some solace in the hope that the findings lead to improved safety in the planning of future air shows.”

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