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2015 Shoreham Airshow crash

The Hawker Hunter (G-BXFI) in 2013
Accident
Date	22 August 2015 (2015-08-22)
Summary	Under investigation
Site	A27 road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, United Kingdom 50°50′33″N 0°17′42″W / 50.84241°N 0.294862°W / 50.84241; -0.294862 TQ 201 061
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Hawker Hunter T7
Registration	G-BXFI
Crew	1
Fatalities	At least 11, all on ground
Injuries	1 critical (pilot)  3 serious (on ground) 12 other (on ground)
Survivors	1

On 22 August 2015, a vintage Hawker Hunter T7 jet aircraft crashed onto vehicles on the A27 trunk road during a display at the Shoreham Airshow in Shoreham-by-Sea, England, killing at least 11 people and injuring 16 others. Four people were hospitalised, with one, the pilot, in a critical condition.

It is the deadliest air show accident in the United Kingdom since the 1952 Farnborough air show crash, which killed 31 people. On 24 August, all Hawker Hunter aircraft in the United Kingdom were grounded in response to the accident.

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft was a vintage two-seat Hawker Hunter T7, registration G-BXFI, displaying its former military serial number WV372 as part of its livery. Having first flown for the Royal Air Force (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 since 1998, under a variety of owners. At the time of the incident, it was owned by Graham Peacock and based at North Weald Airfield, Essex.

Andy Hill, the pilot, aged 51 years, was described by colleagues as experienced with over 12,000 flight hours and worked as a captain at British Airways. He had flown Harrier Jump Jets and worked as an instructor for the RAF before joining the airline. Aside from the Hawker Hunter, he also flew a Van's Aircraft RV-8 and a BAC Jet Provost at airshows.

Crash

The aircraft was taking part in the Shoreham Airshow, held in aid of the Royal Air Forces Association. To reduce the risk to the public, display aircraft usually fly parallel to spectators when performing a manoeuvre. At about 13:20 BST (12:20 UTC), the aircraft failed to complete an inside loop aerobatic manoeuvre and crashed onto the A27 road just north of the airport, exploding upon impact and hitting multiple cars. Footage taken of the crash showed a large fireball and plume of smoke immediately following the impact.

Casualties

At least 11 people on the ground were killed, and 16 others were injured. Those confirmed dead included two players from Worthing United F.C., a Level 9 team in English football. Eight vehicles were destroyed in the crash, including a Daimler DS420 limousine which was en route to collect a bride to transport her to church for her wedding. The driver of the Daimler was subsequently confirmed as one of the victims.

The pilot survived the crash with serious injuries. After being flown to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in nearby Brighton, 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.

Police said it was possible that more bodies might be recovered from the scene, and on 24 August announced that up to 20 people may have died in the crash but when the wreckage of the aircraft was removed on 24 August these fears diminished as no further bodies were found. All the recovered components of the aircraft will be taken to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) facility at Farnborough, Hampshire, for examination.

Response

Following the crash, the A27 was closed in both directions, stranding those attending the airshow. People were initially only able to leave the site on foot as the main access from the car parks to the A27 was closed. The airport emergency vehicles attended the scene, resulting in all flying being cancelled due to the lack of fire cover at the airport. It was announced the same day that the second day of the air show on 23 August was cancelled. On 24 August, it was stated that the A27 was likely to remain closed until at least 26 August to allow for removal of the wreckage and repairs to the road. This was later revised to 29 August.

Adur and Worthing Councils (Shoreham Airport is within Adur District) set up an online and physical books of condolence. Together with West Sussex County Council they also opened a charitable fund to support victims of the incident, to be administered by the Sussex Community Foundation, a registered charity.

Aftermath

After a review, Tendring District Council stated that the airshow scheduled to be held at Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, on 27–28 August would go ahead. Any advice issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following the accident would be acted upon. 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 announced that certain restrictions on "vintage jet aircraft" performing over land at airshows were to be introduced until further notice, reducing displays to flypasts only. In addition all Hawker Hunters on the United Kingdom civil aircraft register were grounded indefinitely. The restrictions are scheduled to remain in place until the investigation into the accident is completed. The CAA is to undertake a wider review of safety at airshows.

On 25 August, a 20 year old died after being involved in a head-on collision on the A280, which was a diversion around the crash site. A 34 year old sustained minor injuries.

Investigation

The AAIB, responsible for investigating civil aviation 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 incident. The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.

See also

• List of air show accidents and incidents

References

1. ^ "Shoreham Air Show crash: 'Highly likely' 11 people dead". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015. Cite error: The named reference "bbcnews" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
2. "Up To 20 People Killed In Air Show Disaster". Sky News Room. BSkyB. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
3. "Shoreham Airshow crash: Pilot in critical condition". TV News Room. TV News Room. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
4. "G-INFO Database". Civil Aviation Authority.
5. Hoyle, Craig (24 August 2015). "Investigators seek answers after Shoreham Hunter crash". Flightglobal. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
6. ^ "Hawker Hunter – Survivor WV372 (G-BXFI)". Thunder & Lightnings. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
7. "Another Classic for Shoreham". Shoreham Airshow. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
8. ^ Boyle, Danny (24 August 2015). "Shoreham Air Show disaster: Everything we know about plane crash". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
9. "Clacton Airshow will 'go ahead' in wake of Shoreham crash". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
10. ^ "Airshow crash pilot a 'gifted' flyer". Bognor Regis Observer. Johnston Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
11. Rawlinson, Kevin. "Shoreham crash pilot is experienced aerobatic flyer". theguardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
12. "RAF Red Arrows FAQs: How low do the aircraft fly?". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
13. "Video: Moment of the plane crash at the Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex, England". YouTube. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
14. "Shoreham air crash death toll 'rises to 11'". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
15. Chris Johnston. "Seven people dead after plane crashes on to cars during Shoreham air show". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
16. "Two Footballers En Route To Away Game Named As Victims Of Shoreham Crash". RTLEC. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
17. "Wedding car destroyed on its way to pick up bride". Metro. 24 August 2015. p. 2.
18. "Daimler chauffeur was air crash victim". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
19. ^ "Shoreham air crash: Pilot 'fighting for life'". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2015. Cite error: The named reference "bbcnews2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
20. "Shoreham Airshow crash: Vintage jet restrictions announced". BBC. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
21. Yan, Lee, Holly, Ian. "Air show crash: Police say death toll "may rise" as high as 20". CNN. Retrieved 24 August 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. ^ "Shoreham Airshow crash: Crane removes jet wreckage". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
23. @shorehamairshow (22 August 2015). "Shoreham Airshow" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
24. "Shoreham air crash: More victims 'likely' when jet moved". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
25. Boyle, Danny; Harley, Nicola (23 August 2015). "Shoreham Air Show plane crash: Eleven people now feared dead - live updates". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
26. "Shoreham Airshow Book of Condolence". Adur and Worthing Council. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
27. "Official fund for Shoreham Airshow crash donations". Worthing Herald. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
28. "No changes to Clacton Airshow following Shoreham tragedy". Essex County Standard. Newsquest. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
29. Khomami, Nadia (24 August 2015). "Shoreham air crash: vintage jet aircraft displays to be significantly restricted – latest updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
30. "Safety Directive: Number SD-2015/003" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
31. "Daring displays banned to make air shows safer". Metro. pp. 1, 4.
32. Rayner, Gordon (25 August 2015). "Shoreham Air Show crash: New video shows Hawker Hunter jet's 'slow and unusual' take-off". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 August 2015. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
33. "The AAIB has deployed a team to Shoreham". Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
34. "Shoreham air disaster: Floods slow air crash searches". BBC News Online. Retrieved 25 August 2015.

• 2015 in England
• 21st century in West Sussex
• Aviation accidents and incidents at air shows
• Aviation accidents and incidents in 2015
• Aviation accidents and incidents in England
• Filmed accidental deaths
• History of West Sussex