On August 22, 2015, a Hawker Hunter plane crashed on the A27 in West Sussex while performing a stunt at the Shoreham Airshow. Andrew Hill, the pilot, was found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence. Senior coroner Penelope Schofield said the plane crashing was “a result of the manner in which it was flown. This was not a minor error,” she told the inquest in Horsham, noting that the pilot had two chances to avoid the manoeuvre and avoid the crash. In my opinion, this goes beyond a simple error,” the West Sussex coroner added. Ms Schofield stated that while she recorded a narrative verdict of unlawful killing, it did not “diminish the fact” that Mr Hill was acquitted in a criminal court in 2019. In 2019, pilot Andrew Hill was acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter. Mr Hill has always maintained that he has no recollection of the crash. During his trial, the former RAF instructor claimed that he had blacked out in the air due to “cognitive impairment” caused by hypoxia, possibly due to the effects of G-force. The coroner, on the other hand, found no evidence of the pilot’s G-force impairment during the loop-the-loop stunt. Despite having submitted evidence to the investigation, Mr Hill was not called as a witness at the inquest. His request for Ms Schofield to rule out a verdict of unlawful killing was denied at the pre-inquest review in September. ‘This is a huge loss.’ Another 13 people were injured in the crash, including the pilot. As the conclusion was delivered, several family members of the victims were present and in tears. Eleven innocent lives were cruelly lost, lives that were cut too short,” Ms Schofield said. “Their families will bear this enormous loss for the rest of their lives.” Matt Jones, Matthew Grimstone, Jacob Schilt, Maurice Abrahams, and Richard Smith were among the eleven men killed. (From left to right, bottom row) Mark Reeves, Tony Brightwell, Mark Trussler, Daniele Polito, Dylan Archer, and Graham Mallinson are among the cast members. The unfortunate individuals Matt Jones, a personal trainer, is 24 years old. Matthew Grimstone, a Worthing United footballer who previously worked as a groundsman at Brighton & Hove Albion, was arrested. Mr Grimstone was accompanying Jacob Schilt, a 23-year-old Worthing United player, to a game. Maurice Abrahams, 76, was a chauffeur on his way to pick up a bride on her wedding day in Brighton. Friends Richard Smith, 26, and Dylan Archer, 42, were on their way to ride their bikes on the South Downs. Mark Reeves, 53, had ridden his motorcycle to the airport’s perimeter to photograph the planes. Tony Brightwell, 53, of Hove, was a plane enthusiast who learned to fly at Shoreham Airfield. Mark Trussler, 54, was last seen riding his motorcycle on the A27. Daniele Polito was in the same car as Mr Jones. Graham Mallinson, 72, was a keen photographer and retired engineer from Newick. Stewarts, a UK law firm, represented some of the families who lost loved ones in the disaster. “The bereaved families have waited more than seven years to reach this point,” said partner Sarah Stewart, “and while the senior coroner’s conclusion will not ease the pain of their loss, their voices have been heard.” She went on to say that the families had reached “the end of their road” in terms of legal proceedings. An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigation concluded that the crash could have been avoided if Mr Hill had flown too low and too slowly while performing a manoeuvre. The Civil Aviation Authority accepted all 21 of the AAIB’s safety recommendations (CAA). They included a review of whether the minimum distance required between the public and display aircraft should be changed, as well as a review of guidance for air show organisers, including how they conduct risk assessments.
