‘Reckless’ stunt of pilot in airshow crash horror
Jury told of risk-taking before Shoreham fireball that killed 11
A PILOT’S ‘ serious negligence’ caused the Shoreham Airshow disaster in which 11 died, a court heard yesterday.
Andrew Hill, 54, had a history of taking risks and often ‘played fast and loose with the rules’, jurors were told.
Just months before the 2015 crash his display was halted because of ‘ dangerous’ flying, it was said.
On the day of the tragedy the ‘reckless’ former RAF pilot was allegedly too low when he attempted a loop- the- loop in his vintage Hawker Hunter jet.
Unable to pull out of a dive in time, the 1950s fighter jet crashed on to a busy dual carriageway near Shoreham in West Sussex and exploded in a fireball that killed 11 motorists, cyclists and spectators.
The trained RAF instructor, who was a British Airways captain at the time, was miraculously thrown clear of the aircraft. He suffered serious injuries but has no memory of the crash.
Yesterday victims’ families gathered to see Hill in the dock at the Old Bailey where he faces 11 charges of manslaughter by gross negligence. Prosecutor Tom Kark QC said: ‘Until the moment that it crashed, there was nothing wrong with aircraft. the flying The capabilities crash happened of that purely because of pilot error.’
Jurors heard the jet had ascended to about 2,800ft at the top of the loop – about 1,000ft below the height required.
Mr Kark said: ‘In short, he did not have the height to pull the aircraft out of its dive, back to the level flight at a safe height, and, as a result, he crashed into the ground. The prosecution case is that it was Hill’s serious negligence that led directly to the loss of those 11 lives.’
The court also heard the pilot was reprimanded by the Civil Aviation Authority and nearly lost his licence over a ‘dangerous manoeuvre’ when he flew within 75ft of spectators at Southport Airshow in Merseyside months before the crash. He also broke flying rules on two other occasions in 2014, the court heard. ‘Mr Hill, in short, was playing fast and loose with the rules which are designed to keep people safe from aircraft performing aerobatic manoeuvres,’ Mr Kark said.
He said such incidents had demonstrated a ‘more cavalier attitude to safety than was appropriate’. Jurors were told that Hill served in the RAF between 1985 and 1994 and had flown the Hawker Hunter a total of 47 hours, including at the same airshow the year before the crash. Mr Kark added: ‘Although you will hear about what a careful and competent pilot Mr Hill usually is, the previous incidents demonstrate poor decision-making and risk-taking, which supports the opinion of … expert witnesses that this crash was the result of Mr Hill making an extremely poor and reckless decision at the top of the loop.’ Spectators ran in terror as the single-engine jet, capable of travelling at close to the speed of sound, exploded on the busy A27 on August 22, 2015. Jurors heard how airshow enthusiast David Milnes thought the jet was flying slower than it should have been during the loop. He then watched in horror as bystanders vanished in a wall of flames.
Mr Kark said: ‘People that he had been standing next to him had simply disappeared and the motorbikes he had noticed earlier were now just burning wreckage.’
Hill’s ejector seat was partially activated due to the force of impact and he was thrown clear of the cockpit. Among the 11 dead were footballers Matthew Grimstone, 23, and Jacob Schilt, 23, who were on their way to play for Worthing Football Club when their car was hit. Chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, died on the way to pick up a bride on her wedding day.
Three cyclists and two motorcyclists also lost their lives.
A 72-year-old man was killed as he stood by the A27 waiting to photograph a plane.
Following the crash, the pilot complained he had been feeling unwell before the flight.
He needed extensive medical treatment but has since made a full recovery. Two years later he gave police a statement saying he had no memory or ‘ obvious explanation’ for the disaster.
He denies the manslaughter charges, and one count of endangering an aircraft. The case continues.
‘Cavalier attitude to safety’