Shoreham disaster pilot disputesclaimsheflew with‘acavalierattitude’

pilot whose plane crashed during the Shoreham Airshow killing 11 men has dismissed claims he ever had a “cavalier attitude” to flying.

Speaking for the first time in public since the 2015 crash, Andrew Hill stood in the witness box as he gave evidence at his trial in the Old Bailey in London yesterday.

The 1950s Hawker Hunter fighter jet plunged to the ground and exploded in a fireball on the A27 in West Sussex after Hill attempted a loop on August 22. The 54-year-old, of Sandon, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, denies 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.

Prosecutors previously told the court the crash was due to “pilot error” and although Hill was normally considered “careful and competent”, he had taken “risks” in the past, suggesting he sometimes played “fast and loose” with the rules and may have had a “more cavalier attitude to safety than was appropriate”.

Denial: Andrew Hill

Karim Khalil QC, defending, asked Hill if he was a “cavalier” pilot.

Dressed in a black suit, white shirt and dark blue tie, he replied: “I would say I was probably one of the least people that applied to, in the sense that there are ways to be cavalier and some people are, some people are not.

“I believe I took a very structured, disciplined approach to it (display flying).”

The jury of seven women and four men listened as he told the court he sometimes held back from flights he was not comTHE fortable with carrying out, adding: “We have our strengths and weaknesses.”

Referring to Hill’s final display which ended with “catastrophic” consequences, Mr Khalil asked if he intended to cause risk to anybody.

Hill replied: “Absolutely not, for a multitude of reasons.

“It was the primary aim of the display to avoid risk.”

The jury previously heard of three incidents in 2014, a year before the crash, when there were concerns over Hill’s flying, according to the prosecution.

But some witnesses described him as “safety-conscious” and an “absolute gentleman”.

During a practice display for the Duxford airshow in Cambridgeshire, Hill flew over the crowd line, prosecutors said.

Tom Kark QC, prosecuting, said he had flown over the Duxford Museum — which was regarded as a “serious infringement”.

Giving evidence, Hill said he had no concerns about the manner in which he was flying, adding: “I was in total control.”

The trial continues.