Shoreham Airshow crash inquest set to open
It will look into the deaths of 11 men in the disaster in August 2015
Seven years after the deaths of 11 men at the Shoreham Airshow, an inquest into the disaster is finally set to get underway on Wednesday (November 30th).
Thirteen other people were injured when a vintage Hawker Hunter plane crashed onto the nearby A27 during an aerial display at the event on August 22nd, 2015.
The plane's pilot, Andrew 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.
The inquest into the 11 deaths was originally opened on September 2nd, 2015 but was adjourned in 2018 due to the criminal trial of Mr Hill.
The inquests resumed in March 2019 after the trial, but hearings set for September 2020 were adjourned due to the pandemic.
A pre-inquest review was heard on September 1st where senior coroner Penelope Schofield said the inquest "would not reinvestigate the crash", as this evidence had been provided by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
The full inquest is set to run until December 20th.
Mr Hill will not be called as a witness, having submitted evidence to the investigation. His request at the pre-inquest review for Mrs Schofield to rule out a verdict of unlawful killing was denied.
Law firm Stewarts is representing seven of the families who lost loved ones in the disaster.
Sarah Stewart, partner in the aviation department, told the PA news agency:
"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."
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.