On 22 August 2015, a
former military aircraft crashed onto a main road during an aerial display at the
Shoreham Airshow at
Shoreham Airport
Brighton City Airport , also commonly known as Shoreham Airport, is located in Lancing, West Sussex, Lancing near Shoreham by Sea in West Sussex, England. It has a Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom), CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence tha ...
, England, killing 11 people and injuring 16 others. It was the deadliest air show accident in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
since the
1952 Farnborough Airshow crash
On 6 September 1952, a prototype de Havilland DH.110 jet fighter crashed during an aerial display at the Farnborough Airshow in Hampshire, England. The jet disintegrated mid-air during an aerobatic manoeuvre, causing the death of pilot John D ...
, which killed 31 people.
The aircraft, a
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet propulsion, jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly dev ...
T7, failed to complete a
loop manoeuvre and crashed, hitting vehicles on the
A27 road
The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 road, A36 at Whiteparish (near Salisbury, England, Salisbury) in the county of Wiltshire, follows the south coast of Hampshire and West Sussex, and terminates at Pevense ...
adjacent to the airport. The pilot, Andy Hill, was critically injured but survived.
As a result of the accident, all civilian-registered Hawker Hunter aircraft in the United Kingdom were grounded, and restrictions were put in place on civilian vintage jet aircraft displays over land, limiting them to high-level flypasts and banning
aerobatic manoeuvres.
The official investigation by the
Air Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, overseas territories and crown dependencies. It is also the Space Accident I ...
concluded that the crash resulted from
pilot error
In aviation, pilot error generally refers to an action or decision made by a Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot that is a substantial contributing factor leading to an Aviation accidents and incidents, aviation accident. It also includes a pilot ...
. In 2018, Hill was charged with eleven counts of
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...
by gross negligence and one count of endangering an aircraft. He was found not guilty on all counts on 8 March 2019. The organisers of the Shoreham Airshow denied any responsibility for the crash.
An inquest into the deaths of the victims was scheduled to be held in 2020, but was delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
until 30 November 2022, pending the outcome of some procedural issues.
In December 2022, the coroner found that the victims were
unlawfully killed as their deaths were caused by an incorrect manoeuvre and a series of gross errors. Hill's final appeal for review of the decision not to reinstate his flying licences was denied in May 2025.
After the crash, regulations for airshows were significantly tightened by the
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), increasing costs to organisers to fund the new safety measures to a degree that led to the cancellation of later shows.
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft was a 1950s two-seat
Hawker Hunter T7,
registration G-BXFI
serial 41H-670815,
[ displaying its former military ]serial number
A serial number (SN) is a unique identifier used to ''uniquely'' identify an item, and is usually assigned incrementally or sequentially.
Despite being called serial "numbers", they do not need to be strictly numerical and may contain letters ...
WV372 as part of its livery
A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
. Having first flown for the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) in July 1955, it was rebuilt following a fire, returning to service in 1959 after conversion to T7 specification. It had been making civilian display flights as a warbird
A warbird is any vintage military aircraft now operated by civilian organizations and individuals, or in some instances, by historic arms of military forces, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 100 ...
since 1998, under a variety of owners. At the time of the accident, it was owned by Graham Peacock, and based at North Weald Airfield
North Weald Airfield is an operational general aviation aerodrome, in the civil parish of North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex, England. It was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain, when it was known as the RAF Stat ...
, Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
. The aircraft had flown to Shoreham Airport from North Weald and was scheduled to return there after the display.[
Andy Hill, the 51-year-old pilot, was described by colleagues as experienced, with more than 12,000 flight hours. He had worked as a captain at ]British Airways
British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport.
The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...
. He had flown Hawker Siddeley Harrier
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is a British jet-powered attack aircraft designed and produced by the British aerospace company Hawker Siddeley. It was the first operational ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeo ...
s and worked as an instructor for the RAF before joining the airline. As well as the Hawker Hunter, he flew a Van's RV-8 and a BAC Jet Provost
The BAC Jet Provost is a British jet trainer aircraft that was in use with the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1955 to 1993. It was originally developed by Hunting Percival from the earlier piston engine-powered Percival Provost basic trainer, and l ...
at airshows.
Airshow
The aircraft was taking part in the first day of the two-day Shoreham Airshow, held in aid of the Royal Air Forces Association
The Royal Air Forces Association, also known as RAF Association or RAFA, is a British registered charity. It provides care and support to serving and retired members of the Air Forces of the British Commonwealth, and to their dependents.
The ...
. The conditions were hot and sunny, with a crosswind up to 15 knots, described as not unusual for this coastal location by the local media. The Hunter had been opening the afternoon session of displays; the morning programme up to 12:30 BST (11:30 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
) had already featured The Blades aerobatic team (opening), Justyn Gorman Aerobatics, an AutoGyro Calidus, the Tiger 9 Aeronautical Display Team (six aircraft only), a Pitts Special
The Pitts Special (company designations S-1 and S-2) is a series of light aerobatics, aerobatic biplanes designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944. The Pitts biplanes domina ...
, The Twister aerobatic team (one aircraft only), an RAF Tutor, and the RAF Falcons parachute display team.["Vulcan flypast pays tribute after crash"](_blank)
, ''Shoreham Herald'', 22 August 2015.
Accident
Crash
The Hunter commenced its display with a low pass along the runway from south to north, turning for a second pass in the opposite direction. As it neared the airport, it pulled up into an inside loop
Aerobatic maneuvers are flight paths putting aircraft in unusual attitudes, in air shows, dogfights or competition aerobatics. Aerobatics can be performed by a single aircraft or in formation with several others. Nearly all aircraft are capab ...
. This manoeuvre started from a height of ,[ which leading aviation expert David Learmount later said "left no room for misjudgement".] The loop should have been started at a height of and a speed of at least , attaining a height of and at the top of the loop. Only and were achieved from an initial entry speed of .[
Before it could complete the loop, the aircraft crashed in a nose-high attitude] onto the west-bound carriageway of the A27 road
The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 road, A36 at Whiteparish (near Salisbury, England, Salisbury) in the county of Wiltshire, follows the south coast of Hampshire and West Sussex, and terminates at Pevense ...
. The aircraft broke into four parts on impact: cockpit, left wing and main body, tail, and right wing,[ destroying several cars in the process.] Fuel escaping from the fuel tanks ignited in a large fireball and plume of smoke immediately following the impact. The crash occurred at 13:22 BST (12:22 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
). The first fire appliance arrived at the scene within 90 seconds of the crash.[ Footage of the accident was captured by spectators, as well as a ]dashcam
A dashboard camera or simply dashcam, also known as car digital video recorder (car DVR), driving recorder, or event data recorder (EDR), is an onboard camera that continuously records the view through a vehicle's front windscreen and somet ...
mounted in a car that was travelling towards the crash site.
Casualties
Eleven people on the ground were killed and sixteen others were injured. Those confirmed dead included two players from Worthing United F.C.
Worthing United Football Club is a football club based in Worthing, England. Established in 1988 by a merger of Wigmore Athletic and Southdown, they are currently members of the and play at the Robert Albon Memorial Ground.
History
Wigmore At ...
Eight vehicles were destroyed in the crash, including a Daimler DS420
The Daimler DS420, also known as the Daimler Limousine, is a limousine made by the Daimler Company between 1968 and 1992. The car was designed for official use and it was popular with chauffeur services, hoteliers and undertakers. It was used a ...
limousine which was en route to collect a bride to transport her to church for her wedding. The driver of the Daimler was one of the fatalities.
The aircraft had departed from North Weald with its ejector seat in a live condition. Hill was thrown clear of the aircraft still strapped into the live seat, which posed an additional danger to rescuers.[ Hill survived the crash with serious injuries. He was flown to the ]Royal Sussex County Hospital
The Royal Sussex County Hospital is an acute teaching hospital in Brighton, England. Together with the Princess Royal Hospital, it is administered by the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust. The services provided at the hospital inc ...
in nearby Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
; his condition was described as critical and he was said to be fighting for his life. He was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma. He was released from hospital in September 2015.
After a thorough area search of the crash site, all the recovered components of the aircraft were taken to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, overseas territories and crown dependencies. It is also the Space Accident I ...
(AAIB) facility at Farnborough, Hampshire
Farnborough is a town located in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England. It has a population of around 57,486 as of the 2011 census and is an important centre of aviation, engineering and technology. The town is probably best known for it ...
, for examination.
Response
A de Havilland Sea Vixen
The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from the 1950s to the early 1970s. The Sea Vixen was designed by the de Havi ...
was already airborne ready to perform the next display after the Hunter; instead it flew overhead at altitude and departed to the north. With an Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
due half an hour later at 14:05, it was decided to let it perform a tribute flypast, after which the show was closed.[ All the aircraft at the airport were already grounded due to the lack of fire cover and the creation of an exclusion zone around the accident site.
Following the crash, the A27 was closed in both directions, requiring those attending to exit via a height restricted route, through the industrial estate of the airport to the ]A259
The A259 is a road on the south coast of England passing through Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent, and is the longest Zone 2 A road in Great Britain. The main part of the road connects Brighton, Peacehaven, Eastbourne, Hastings, ...
. People were initially required to remain at the Airport due to the requirement to collect evidence and witness statements. Those at the airport were initially only allowed to exit on the A27 side via the A27 footpaths. A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the administrative county of West Sussex, England. It is part of West Sussex County Council. , the county has 25 fire stations.
Performance
Every fire and re ...
appliance was first on scene, closely followed by the airport emergency vehicles, and medical personnel from the British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...
, who were providing medical cover at the airshow. The second day of the air show on 23 August was cancelled. The A27 was partially reopened on 30 August.
Adur District Council
Adur may refer to:
Places
* Adur, Anekal, a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India
* Adur, Azerbaijan, a village in the Quba Rayon
* Adur, Bangalore South, a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India
* Adur, Haveri, a village ...
(Shoreham Airport is within the Lancing parish of Adur District
Adur () is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the River Adur which flows through the area. The council is based in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea, and the district also contains the town of Southwick, the large ...
) set up online and physical books of condolence. Together with West Sussex County Council
West Sussex County Council is the upper tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of West Sussex in England.
The county also contains seven district and borough councils, and 158 town, parish and neighbourhood councils. The county c ...
they also opened a charitable fund to support victims of the accident, to be administered by the Sussex Community Foundation, a registered charity.
In March 2017, Adur District Council announced that a series of sculptures were to be placed along the banks of the River Adur as a memorial. In May 2019, a permanent memorial was erected near the Shoreham Tollbridge.
Aftermath
The airshow at Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea, often simply called Clacton, is a seaside town and seaside resort, resort in the county of Essex, on the east coast of England. It is located on the Tendring Peninsula and is the largest settlement in the Tendring District, wi ...
, Essex, which took place the following weekend, opened with "a pause for thought" for those who died at Shoreham. The Clacton airshow takes place over the sea, similar to the Bournemouth Airshow which took place the same weekend as the accident and ran for both days.
On 24 August 2015, the CAA imposed restrictions on "vintage jet aircraft" performing over land at airshows until further notice, reducing displays to flypasts only. In addition, all Hawker Hunters on the United Kingdom civil aircraft register were grounded until further notice, although military-registered Hunters were not affected. The restrictions were to remain in place until the completion of the investigation into the accident, and a wider review of safety at airshows was to be undertaken by the CAA. In January 2016, the CAA brought in stricter requirements for airshows in the United Kingdom. The grounding of civilian Hunters was lifted on 6 July 2017; however, aircraft would be subject to enhanced maintenance and inspection regimes before a permit to fly would be granted. The ban on Hawker Hunter and other jet aircraft on the United Kingdom civil register performing aerobatic manoeuvres remained in place. On 1 March 2018, the CAA lifted its ban on straight-wing ex-military jet aircraft from performing aerobatics at airshows; a ban on swept-wing aircraft remained in place.
The airshow scheduled to be held at Durham Tees Valley Airport
Teesside International Airport , formerly Durham Tees Valley Airport, is a small international airport in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It primarily serves Teesside (including Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees), south and ...
on 29 August 2015 was postponed. Organisers stated that the new regulations in place would have "severely limited" some of the displays of the jet aircraft. The airshow would have been the first in the area since 1989; it took place in 2016.
Other air shows on the following weekend were not postponed but some displays were altered to match the CAA restrictions, including the Wings and Wheels display at Dunsfold Aerodrome
Dunsfold Aerodrome (former International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO code EGTD) is an General aviation in the United Kingdom#Aerodrome licensing, unlicensed airfield in Surrey, England, near the village of Cranleigh. It exten ...
where a one-minute silent tribute to the victims was held before the start of the air display.
, no further Shoreham Airshow has taken place or been announced.
The 2016 Llandudno
Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community � ...
Airshow was cancelled, due to a lack of time to make changes in light of new regulations introduced by the CAA. For the 2016 Farnborough Airshow
The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...
, the Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force (RAF) based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-Royal Air Force team, replacing several un ...
performed a flypast rather than an aerobatic display, stating that the latter would not be appropriate in the aftermath of the Shoreham accident.
In August 2016, it was reported that the aircraft's owners had admitted liability for the accident in late 2015. Two claims for compensation had been settled with a third in the final stages of settlement.
In March 2019 it was announced that the public flying days at the Farnborough Airshow would not continue. "Negative and vitriolic feedback" following the 2018 airshow, falling visitor numbers and tighter regulations introduced in the wake of the crash at Shoreham – which made it impossible for exhibitors such as the Red Arrows to perform aerobatics close to populated areas – were given as factors that contributed towards the decision. Farnborough would be a five-day trade show, with public admittance on the Friday only.
Investigations
AAIB
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, overseas territories and crown dependencies. It is also the Space Accident I ...
(AAIB), responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom, sent a team to Shoreham. As a part of the investigation, the AAIB appealed for members of the public to contact them if they had photographs or video of the accident,[ and received a large number of such recordings from a variety of locations around the airport.] The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder
A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to colloquially as a "black box", an outdated nam ...
or a flight data recorder
A flight recorder is an electronic recording device placed in an aircraft for the purpose of facilitating the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The device may often be referred to colloquially as a "black box", an outdated nam ...
. The AAIB published an interim report on 4 September. The report stated that "To date, no abnormal indications have been identified. Throughout the flight, the aircraft appeared to be responding to the pilot's control inputs".
A second Special Bulletin was published by the AAIB on 21 December 2015. It revealed that the aircraft was not compliant with its Permit to Fly insofar as the ejection seat cartridges installed in the aircraft had passed their expiry date. The maintenance organisation had ordered new cartridges in January 2014, but they did not arrive until June 2015 (two months before the accident) and the maintainer decided to fit them at the aircraft's next annual inspection in February 2016. The maintainer stated it was acting under the privileges of its maintenance approvals. The CAA was reported to be of the view that the maintainer did not have such privilege.
An issue of compliance with a Mandatory Permit Directive (MPD) in relation to time between engine overhauls raised questions as to whether the aircraft's Permit to Fly was valid on the day that it was issued. The CAA stated that it was unclear whether an Alternative Means of Compliance (AMOC) was in effect at the time for the accident aircraft, which would mean the Permit to Fly was valid. According to the AAIB's second interim report, "On this basis he CAAcould not determine if the aircraft met the requirements of its Permit to Fly from December 2014 onwards." The second Special Bulletin made seven safety recommendations.
A third update was published on 10 March 2016. This Special Bulletin covered the organisation of the airshow at Shoreham, and airshows in the United Kingdom in general, with particular attention to risk management. Comparison was made with how airshows are organised in Australia, Canada and the United States. British civil and military rules were examined separately. It was reported that at the 2014 Shoreham Airshow, G-BXFI had overflown Lancing with a bank angle in excess of 90°. The pilot had not been instructed to stop his display. The AAIB did not name the pilot of G-BXFI who flew the 2014 display. It was also reported that the Flying Display Director at both displays did not have prior knowledge of the display intended to be flown. The issue of low flying during air displays was investigated. A previous accident involving glider BGA 4665 at an air race in Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
in August 2005 had resulted in a recommendation to the CAA to remove the exemption, enjoyed by aircraft participating in an airshow, from normal low flying rules. This had not been done, despite the CAA agreeing with the recommendation. It was noted that the police had no powers to prevent people from watching an airshow from outside the boundaries of the venue where it was taking place. In the case of Shoreham, neither Sussex Police nor the organisers had asked for such powers. Signs had been put out on the A27 by the airshow organisers stating that "viewing was prohibited and that offenders may be prosecuted". Another issue considered was how often CAA Flight Standards Officers attended airshows: only 1.4% of airshows in 2014 and 7.1% of airshows in 2015 had been attended. Fourteen recommendations were made. In January 2017, the CAA stated that it accepted all the recommendations made by the AAIB.
The final report of the investigation of the accident was published on 3 March 2017. The cause of the accident was found to be pilot error
In aviation, pilot error generally refers to an action or decision made by a Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot that is a substantial contributing factor leading to an Aviation accidents and incidents, aviation accident. It also includes a pilot ...
: the pilot failed to recognise that the aircraft was too low to perform the loop. In December 2019, the AAIB issued a supplement to its final report, following additional analysis of the pilot's actions. Additional evidence as to how G-forces may have affected the pilot was examined. The AAIB concluded that the findings in the final report were correct.
Sussex Police
Sussex Police
Sussex Police are the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Their jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. Their headquarters are in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex.
Hi ...
opened a criminal investigation into the accident. Hill was released from hospital in early September 2015 and was interviewed by police in December. In February 2016, it was announced that the police investigation was being extended to cover an incident at an airshow in Southport
Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...
, Merseyside, in August 2014. That incident involved a BAC Jet Provost
The BAC Jet Provost is a British jet trainer aircraft that was in use with the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1955 to 1993. It was originally developed by Hunting Percival from the earlier piston engine-powered Percival Provost basic trainer, and l ...
aircraft which had descended too low and got too close to the crowd line whilst being flown by Hill; he was ordered to cease flying the display by the airshow's Flying Display Director. A CAA Flight Standards Officer did not attend that airshow.[
Sussex Police applied to the High Court for a disclosure of certain evidence gathered by the AAIB: copies of interviews between the AAIB and Hill, the results of tests carried out by the AAIB and video evidence filmed from inside the aircraft during its display. At the High Court on 28 September 2016, an order was made that the onboard video evidence would be released, but not copies of the interview or the results of tests.] They intended to present a file to the CPS before the pre-inquest review on 20 June 2017, but stated then that their investigation was not quite complete. Hill was interviewed again under caution
Caution may refer to:
* Prudence
* A precautionary statement, describing a potential hazard
* A police caution, an alternative to prosecution for a criminal offence in some countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia
* A statement read by a ...
on 1 June 2017. It was reported on 30 November that Sussex Police had sent a file to the CPS, who would decide whether or not any criminal charges would be laid. On 21 March 2018, the CPS announced that Hill had been charged with eleven counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of endangering an aircraft contrary to Article 137 of the Air Navigation Order 2009. Owing to the prosecution, the inquest was postponed until after the trial had concluded.
Legal
Criminal trial
Proceedings against Hill began at Westminster Magistrates' Court
Westminster Magistrates' Court is a Magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' court at 181 Marylebone Road, London. The Chief Magistrate of England and Wales, who is the Senior Judiciary of England and Wales#District judges, Distric ...
, London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, on 19 April 2018. Hill indicated that he would enter pleas of not guilty and was bailed to appear at the Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...
on 17 May. The trial there started on 15 May, when Hill pleaded not guilty, and was adjourned until 14 January 2019. Hill was granted bail. A pre-trial review took place on 8 January 2019. Hill indicated that his defence was to be that he had been disabled by g-force
The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
s during the flight.
The trial at the Old Bailey resumed as scheduled on 14 January before Mr Justice Edis Edis, EDIS or Ediz may also refer to:
* Edis Görgülü, British born Turkish singer
* Edis (name)
* Electronic Distributorless Ignition System
** Ford EDIS
* European Defence Industrial Strategy
* Emergency Disaster Information Service, a gl ...
. On 15 January, a jury of eight women and four men was selected from 56 members of the public, who had passed initial screening. On 17 January, the jury were shown video of the accident that had not been previously released to the media. The prosecution alleged that previous incidents Hill had been involved in showed that he appeared to have a "cavalier attitude" to safety and played "fast and loose" with the rules. On 4 February, the court decamped to Gatwick Aviation Museum, Charlwood
Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, England. It is immediately north-west of London Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, close west of Horley and north of Crawley. The historic county boundary between Sur ...
, Surrey, which has a Hawker Hunter on display. Jurors were shown the aircraft's controls and the instruments were explained to them. They were given the opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the aircraft and touch the flying controls. Both prosecution and defence provided an expert witness to assist the jury. Hill did not attend the museum.
On 8 March 2019, Hill was found not guilty on each of the 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence. The jury reached unanimous decisions on each of the counts following seven hours of deliberation. The judge also formally acquitted Hill on the count of negligently or recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft, which had not been put to the jury. At the conclusion of the trial, Edis commended the relatives of the victims on the very dignified way they had behaved. Relatives of the victims stated that they were devastated by the verdict. Sussex Police paid tribute to their dignity, adding that they respected the jury's decision. Outside the court after the trial Hill read out the names of all those killed in the incident and said "I am truly sorry for the part I played in their deaths, and it is all I will remember for the rest of my life."[
]
Inquest
A coroner's inquest
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
was opened on 2 September 2015 in Horsham
Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
, West Sussex. After the naming of all the victims and a minute's silence, the inquest was adjourned pending the AAIB and police investigations. At the pre-inquest hearing in June 2017, Sussex Police
Sussex Police are the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Their jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. Their headquarters are in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex.
Hi ...
stated that its investigation was 95% complete. Due to the prosecution of Hill, the inquest was postponed. The date for the inquest, which is scheduled to last for six weeks, was set as September 2020. The inquest would be held without a jury
A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence, make Question of fact, findings of fact, and render an impartiality, impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a sentence (law), penalty or Judgmen ...
: the senior coroner Penelope Schofield ruled that the public interest can be better served by herself sitting alone. In May 2020, it was announced that the inquest would be postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
and to allow families of the deceased to attend the inquest in person. The inquest was further postponed to a date in 2022.
In February 2022 the High Court refused the coroner access to video footage shot from the cockpit of the aircraft, stating that there "is neither credible evidence nor ..a credible suggestion that the AAIB investigations were incomplete, flawed or deficient on the issue of cognitive impairment." A wider concern was that allowing the use of the video would hamper investigations into future aviation accidents. Dame Victoria Sharp endorsed a concern that disclosure of protected materials would make witnesses less forthcoming in dealing with the AAIB.
The inquest resumed on 30 November 2022. A request by Hill that a verdict of unlawful killing
In English law, Irish law and Northern Irish law, unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales and Ireland when someone has been killed by one or more unknown persons. The verdict means that the killin ...
be ruled out was rejected by the coroner. In December 2022, seven years after the crash, the coroner ruled that the victims were unlawfully killed. The coroner described Hill's flying as "exceptionally bad", and the airshow's safety plan as "not fit for purpose".
In February 2023 Hill applied to the High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...
for permission for a judicial review
Judicial review is a process under which a government's executive, legislative, or administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. In a judicial review, a court may invalidate laws, acts, or governmental actions that are in ...
of the inquest, but his application was refused.
Licence appeal
The CAA suspended Hill's pilot licences following the accident. In early October 2024 he unsuccessfully appealed the suspension. The CAA reported that Hill sought to disassociate himself from the accident, and referred to himself in the third person — Hill's PPL and ATPL
The airline transport pilot license (ATPL), or in the United States of America, an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate, is the highest level of aircraft pilot certificate.
In the United States, those certified as airline transport pilots ...
pilot licences and flight radio telephony licence were revoked on the grounds of both competence and fitness of character. Hill applied to the High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal (England and Wales), Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cour ...
in March 2025 for permission for a judicial review of his failed appeal to the CAA, although the time limit for the application had already passed. That final appeal was denied in May 2025.
See also
*List of air show accidents and incidents in the 21st century
This is a year-by-year list of aviation accidents that have occurred at airshows worldwide in the 21st century.
2025
* March 28 – A member of the Paul Bennet Sky Aces formation aerobatic team crashed and was injured at an airshow in Ava ...
References
External links
Footage of crash
de Havilland Sea Vixen
The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from the 1950s to the early 1970s. The Sea Vixen was designed by the de Havi ...
and Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) was a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe ...
flypasts. Incident takes place at 2:26.
Video of the crash from another angle
Incident at 0:25.
Official inquest website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoreham Airshow crash, 2015
2015 in England
2015 disasters in the United Kingdom
2019 in British law
2010s in West Sussex
August 2015 in the United Kingdom
Aviation accidents and incidents at air shows
Aviation accidents and incidents in 2015
Aviation accidents and incidents in England
Disasters in Sussex
Filmed deaths during aviation accidents and incidents