Shoreham Airshow inquest: 11 men were unlawfully killed, coroner rules

After an inquest lasting for more than two weeks – and seven years after the tragedy – senior coroner Penelope Schofield said the pilot, Andrew Hill’s flying was ‘exceptionally bad’.

Delivering her conclusions on Tuesday, December 20, Mrs Schofield said all 11 men were unlawfully killed when a Hawker Hunter T7 aircraft crashed whilst attempting an incorrectly flown looping manoeuvre. She said the crash occurred because; the aircraft’s speed on entry into the manoeuvre was too slow; the thrust applied by the pilot in the upward half of the manoeuvre was insufficient; the aircraft did not achieve sufficient height at the apex of the manoeuvre to complete it before impacting the ground because the combination of low entry speed and low engine thrust in the upward half of the manoeuvre; and despite the aircraft being significantly short of the minimum apex height to complete the manoeuvre safely, the pilot did not perform an escape manoeuvre.

The coroner added: “The death occurred because the aircraft crashed on the A27 due to a change of ground track during the manoeuvre which positioned the aircraft further East than planned, producing an exit track along the dual carriageway.”

The pilot had been cleared in court, in 2019, of manslaughter by gross negligence and he maintained he lost consciousness at the time of the crash. His request, at the pre-inquest review, for Ms Schofield to rule out a verdict of unlawful killing had been denied.

Mrs Schofield found it was ‘unlikely’ that cognitive impairment could be blamed, with no evidence to support those claims. She said this was ‘not a small misjudgement’ and ‘goes beyond a mere mistake’. The senior coroner said her narrative verdict of unlawful killing did not ‘detract from the fact’ Mr Hill was acquitted in a criminal court

The coroner said a ‘series of gross errors’ led to the deaths in circumstances where; the pilot appeared conscious throughout; the aircraft responded to the pilot’s control inputs; the pilot either did not perceive that an escape manoeuvre was necessary, or did not realise that one was possible at the speed achieved at the apex of the manoeuvre; there was no evidence of any g-related impairment of the pilot during the aerobatic sequence flown; and the g experienced by the pilot during the manoeuvre was probably not a factor in the crash.

A number of the victims’ family members were present for the conclusions at County Hall in Horsham.and were in tears as the conclusion was delivered.

Ms Schofield said: "Eleven innocent lives were cruelly lost, lives that were cut too short. This huge loss will be borne by their families for the rest of their lives and felt by the whole community of West Sussex.”

The 11 victims were Anthony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; Daniele Polito, 23, from Goring-by-Sea; Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton; Jacob Schilt, 23, from Brighton; James Mallinson, 72, from Newick; Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford; Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; Matthew Grimstone, 23, from Brighton; Matthew Jones, 24, from Littlehampton; Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove.

UK law firm Stewarts represented the majority of the families who lost their loved ones in the disaster.

Sarah Stewart, partner in the Aviation department, told reporters outside court that ‘justice has been done’.

Mrs Stewart added: “The families we represent would like to thank the senior coroner for her thorough investigation.

"The senior coroner has found that the deaths of the 11 innocent men in the Shoreham Airshow disaster on August 22, 2015 were avoidable. The bereaved families have waited more than seven years to reach this point and although the senior coroner’s conclusion will not ease the pain of their loss, their voices have been heard.”

Mrs Schofield considered making a prevention of future deaths report but eventually adjudged that this was ‘adequately covered’ by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). She said she felt assured that the Civil Aviation Authority were ‘making a concerted effort’, adding: “Nothing can changed what happened but lessons have been learned.”

Have you read?: Shoreham Airshow inquest: Who were the victims of 2015 tragedy?