Shoreham Airshow crash: Pilot may have thought he was flying a different aircraft, investigators suggest

The pilot at the controls of a vintage military jet that crashed killing 11 during an air show faces possible prosecution after an investigation found flying errors contributed to the disaster.

His Hawker Hunter was flying too slowly and below his agreed height limit as he entered a doomed loop stunt that ended with a crash into a busy dual carriageway.

The lack of speed and thrust meant Andy Hill’s jet reached the top of its loop too low, but he could have still safely aborted the stunt.

However the experienced former RAF pilot apparently did not notice the lack of height and may have been distracted, misread his controls or even thought he was in a different type of aircraft.

He made no attempt to abandon the manoeuvre and was unable to complete the loop before smashing into the A27 Shoreham bypass.

Police on Friday said they now planned to submit a file to the Crown Prosecution Service. Mr Hill, who was dragged free from the wreckage and survived, has been the subject of a manslaughter investigation by Sussex Police and interviewed under caution.

DCI Paul Rymarz, of Sussex police, said police investigations had been waiting for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report.

He said: “Much of the material contained in it has not been seen by the investigation team until now.”

He said police planned to submit a file of material to the CPS before a pre-inquest review on June 20.

But the 17-month-long AAIB inquiry also blamed organisers, and stressed the toll of the crash was only so devastating because of a lack of safety preparations to protect bystanders.

Thousands of people had gathered at Shoreham Air Show to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain when the Hunter crashed into a busy bypass, hitting at least four cars – including a wedding limousine.

The AAIB’s final report into the disaster concluded that “controls intended to protect the public from the hazards of displaying aircraft were ineffective”.

Lawyers for the families of the men killed said Britain’s worst air show disaster for 63 years had been a “disaster waiting to happen and one that could have been avoided”.

Julian Firth, principal inspector for the AAIB, said: “It is important to bear in mind that real improvements are only going to be made by improving the management of risk at air shows.

“If we focus only on the activities of one individual, we miss the really important aspects of public protection that should be in place to minimise the effects of an aircraft crashing.”

The parents of 23-year-old Matthew Grimstone, one of the victims, said: "Apart from anything that the pilot may have got wrong, it is very evident the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Shoreham Air Show organisers have got much to answer for.

"Rules laid down by the CAA were quite clearly inadequate and those that were there were, in some cases, not fully adhered to by the air show organisers."

The report found Mr Hill entered his aerobatic loop at a speed of 310kts and a height of around 185ft. His stated minimum speed for the manoeuvre was 350kts, while his aerobatics permit said he would not perform below 500ft.

The report found the aircraft was “carrying out a manoeuvre involving both a pitching and rolling component, which commenced from a height lower than the pilot’s authorised minimum for aerobatics, at an airspeed below his stated minimum, and proceeded with less than maximum thrust.

“This resulted in the aircraft achieving a height at the top of the manoeuvre less than the minimum required to complete it safely, at a speed that was slower than normal.”

The report found it would have been possible to safely abort the stunt when the aircraft reached the top of the loop with too little height. Mr Hill stated he needed to have 3,500ft at the top of the loop, but in fact had only 2,700ft.

The pilot did not appear to recognise he was not high enough.

He may have been too busy to read the altimeter, too distracted or affected by glare, may have misread the controls, or misremembered the correct height, the report suggested.

Mr Hill had also not trained to perform escape manoeuvres that would have got him out of trouble in a Hawker Hunter.

The investigation found the 1955 jet appeared to be operating normally and responding to pilot controls until it hit the ground.

Mr Hill did not try to eject, though his ejector seat partially fired on impact.

The pilot was interviewed seven times during the AAIB investigation. He told investigators he had no recollection of the accident on August 22, 2015, but he was able to tell them how he had prepared and flown in previous displays.

He had more than 14,000 hours of flying experience, though only 43 hours on Hawker Hunters.

The report found there was a “lack of clarity” about who was responsible for the safety of the display, the aircraft and members of the public who were not inside the airfield.

It concluded: “No organisation or individual considered all the hazards associated with the aircraft’s display, what could go wrong, who might be affected and what could be done to mitigate the risks to a level that was both tolerable and as low as reasonably practicable.”

“Controls intended to protect the public from the hazards of displaying aircraft were ineffective.”

The AAIB made 32 safety recommendations, 31 of them to the Civil Aviation Authority. 

Here are profiles of the victims:

Maurice Abrahams, 76:

Chauffeur Mr Abrahams, from Brighton, was en route in his classic Daimler to collect bride Rebecca Sheen and take her to her wedding when the plane crashed.

A former police officer with Hampshire Constabulary, he was an ex-member of the Grenadier Guards and Parachute Regiment, and had served in Cyprus and Bahrain with the UN.

In his later years, he enjoyed working for East Sussex-based Chariots Chauffeurs as well as gardening.

His funeral was held at St Margaret's Church in Rottingdean, where he had driven brides to their weddings countless times. Married to Edwina, Mr Abrahams had a son, Eddie, and daughter Lizzie.

James Graham Mallinson, known as Graham, 72:

Retired engineer Mr Mallinson, from Newick, near Lewes, had gone to Shoreham to photograph one of the last Vulcan bomber flights.

Relatives said he was kind and generous with a "great sense of humour". He was a private and loving family man, they added.

A lifetime member of the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex, married father Mr Mallinson had recently developed an interest in photographing vintage aircraft.

Mark Trussler, 54:

Father-of-six Mr Trussler, a window cleaner from Worthing, had taken his motorbike for a spin on the day of the tragedy as he had also wanted to see the Vulcan flight.

While in Shoreham, he texted his fiancee Giovanna Chirico telling her to get the children ready so they could take them out for lunch on his return home.

She told him she loved him and his last words to her were, "I love you too, forever". A motorbike and rugby fan, he was also described as a doting father.

Dylan Archer, 42, and Richard Smith, 26:

IT consultant Mr Archer, a father of two who lived in Brighton, and Mr Smith, who lived in Hove, were due to meet up with a third friend to head out for a cycle ride in the South Downs.

Mr Archer, who grew up in the Midlands, had a lifelong passion for bikes and cars, and rode the bike he made himself on the day he died.

After going to university in Birmingham, Buckinghamshire-raised Mr Smith worked in a bicycle shop in Cosham, Portsmouth.

He later moved to Hove where he worked in marketing and web development at ActSmart, a firm that specialises in providing advice to the cycle industry.

Tony Brightwell, 53:

Health care manager Mr Brightwell, from Hove, was indulging his twin passions of planes and cycling when tragedy struck.

His fiancee Lara watched him cycle off to watch one of the last Vulcan bomber flights, "but he never came home", she said.

Mr Brightwell gained his private pilot licence at Shoreham, loved food and cooking, and admired Second World War pilots.

Mark Reeves, 53:

Computer-aided design technician Mr Reeves, from Seaford, near Eastbourne, had parked his motorbike to take photographs of planes when the crash happened.

A grandfather, relatives described him as a "sun worshipper" who would often be seen relaxing with a cocktail in hand on holiday.

His family said he was combining two favourite hobbies of riding his cherished Honda bike to take photographs at the air show.

Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23:

The two Worthing United footballers were travelling together in a car to a 3pm home game against Loxwood FC when they were caught up in the crash.

Mr Grimstone's parents Sue and Phil and brothers David and Paul called him the "kindest person you could ever meet".

Team-mates said Mr Schilt was a "tenacious midfielder" with an eye for a goal.

Mr Grimstone had also worked at Brighton & Hove Albion for seven years, most recently as a groundsman at the Lancing training ground.

Matt Jones, 24, and Daniele Polito, 23:

Father Mr Polito, from Worthing, was travelling in the same car as personal trainer Mr Jones when tragedy struck.

Mr Polito's mother Leslye Polito said on the first anniversary of the disaster that the previous 12 months had failed to ease her loss. A keen DJ, Mr Jones had reportedly recently returned to the UK from living in Australia.