The families of people killed in a plane crash have blasted the pilot’s bid to reinstate his flying license more than eight years after the incident.
Andrew Hill, 59, was piloting a 1950s Hawker Hunter jet at the Shoreham Airshow when it exploded into a fireball on the A27 following a botched loop-the-loop attempt on August 22, 2015.
Mr Hill miraculously survived the crash, which claimed the lives of 11 other people, after the cockpit was torn from the aircraft on impact. In 2019 a jury unanimously cleared him of manslaughter.
But the former Royal Air Force instructor now wants to return to the cockpit and is seeking to reinstate his pilot’s licence with the Civil Aviation Authority, according to The Sun.
The move has angered the families of the victims, who argue that the pilot should bever be allowed to fly again ‘out of respect’ for them and their loved ones.
Andrew Hill, 59, was piloting a 1950s Hawker Hunter jet at the Shoreham Airshow when it exploded into a fireball on the A27 following a botched loop-the-loop attempt in 2015
Footage filmed by spectators showed the 1950s Hawker Hunter seconds before the crash
Footage of the crash shows the horrific moment the 1950s jet came down on the busy road
Graham Mallinson, 72, a retired engineer Mr Mallinson, from Newick, near Lewes, was one of 11 to die in the crash.
His son, Anthony, told The Sun: ‘You’d think, out of respect for all of our loved ones lost he would just let this one go now and just draw a line under it. We’re trying to draw a line under it.
‘Why is he still continuing to put us through this stress and worry?
‘To try and want to fly, knowing how the world sees him as a pilot and what happened, you’d think he’d want to go away into a corner and not be heard of.’
‘You’d think, out of respect for all of our loved ones lost he would just let this one go now and just draw a line under it. We’re trying to draw a line under it.
‘Why is he still continuing to put us through this stress and worry?
‘To try and want to fly, knowing how the world sees him as a pilot and what happened, you’d think he’d want to go away into a corner and not be heard of.’
‘We were shocked but we weren’t entirely surprised either, knowing the character that he is.
‘We all, as a collaborative of families, feel extremely strongly that he never has his pilot’s licence reinstated out of respect for all of us, the families and all of our loved ones lost. He shouldn’t be anywhere near a cockpit.’
The plane came down on the A27 after attempting a loop-the-loop near the south coast town
Chilling footage showed the huge jet just moments before he landed on the busy A-road
A huge cloud of black smoke and red flames shot up into the sky moments after the crash happened at the airshow
The flames from the Hawker Hunter aircraft can be seen burning through the vegetation in the surrounding area
Worthing United footballer Matthew Grimstone, 23, and his teamate Jacob Schilt, 23, weretravelling together in a car to a 3pm home game against Loxwood FC when they were caught up in the crash.
Matthew’s father Phil said: ‘It’s the ninth Christmas without our loved ones, which is bloody hard because Matthew loved Christmas.
‘Since then, Christmas is cold. You know? We got a couple of grandkids. So they help a lot.
‘But it’ll never be the same again. We just wait for January 2nd, really and go all over again.’
The Sun reported that the makers of a TV documentary about the crash, named Fatal Flight: Shoreham, found out about Hill’s attempt to reinstate his licence.
The newspaper added that he is expected to be issued a decision on whether he can fly again in early 2024.
During the trial, prosecutors had claimed the 2015 crash was due to ‘pilot error’ and although Mr Hill was normally considered ‘careful and competent’, he had taken ‘risks’ in the past.
They suggested he sometimes played ‘fast and loose’ with the rules and may have had a ‘more cavalier attitude to safety than was appropriate’.
Pictures from the aftermath of the crash showed debris strewn across the two-lane road
In 2017 a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch also found the disaster was caused by pilot error after the plane was too slow and too low during a loop manoeuvre.
But Mr Hill, an experienced former RAF instructor and British Airways captain, said he took a ‘very structured, disciplined approach’ to display flying.
He told jurors he sometimes held back from flights he was not comfortable with carrying out, adding: ‘We have our strengths and weaknesses.’
Mr Hill said he thinks about the tragedy every day and it was a ‘dominant’ thought in his mind. He said he never intended to cause any risk to anybody.
The victims were Maurice Abrahams, 76; Dylan Archer, 42; Tony Brightwell, 53; Matthew Grimstone, 23; Matt Jones, 24; Graham Mallinson, 72; Daniele Polito, 23; Mark Reeves, 53; Jacob Schilt, 23; Richard Smith, 26; and Mark Trussler, 54, who all lived in Sussex.
Who were the 11 victims of the 2015 Shoreham air disaster?
Maurice Abrahams
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.
Graham Mallinson
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.
Father-of-six Mark Trussler
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.
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.
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.
Dylan Archer and Richard Smith were due to meet up with a third friend to go on a cycle ride when they were killed in the Shoreham tragedy
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.
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.
Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, were travelling to Worthing United to play in a home game against Loxwood FC when they were caught up in the crash
Matt Jones, 24, and Daniele Polito, 23:
Father Daniele Polito, from Worthing, was travelling in the same car as personal trainer Matt 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 .
Matt Jones and Daniele Polito both died in the same car