Thread: Shoreham plane crash: Seven dead after Hawker Hunter hits cars

Nothing more to say than RIP

Really? You don't wonder why a really experienced pilot made such a fatal mistake?

A jury has cleared the pilot of a vintage jet that crashed during the Shoreham air show in 2015, killing 11 people, of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The judgement, at London's Old Bailey court earlier today, came after the Hawker Hunter flown by Andrew Hill came down onto a road during a loop manoeuvre, causing the deaths of 11 bystanders and motorists outside the air show site.

Hill was also acquitted of an additional charge of negligently or recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft, after the prosecution offered no evidence.

The pilot's defence team argued that he had been suffering from "cognitive impairment" when the aircraft crashed on 22 August 2015.

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch concluded in its final report in 2017 that the accident took place because Hill commenced a "bent loop" manoeuvre with insufficient speed and engine thrust to complete it within the height available.

Outside the court, Hill acknowledged that he had lost control of the aircraft and read out the names of the 11 victims.

Noting that additional people were injured in the accident, he said: "I am truly sorry for the part I played in their deaths, and it is they I will remember for the rest of my life."

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...aughte-456467/

^ In this particular case, I have to agree. He was an experienced aerobatic pilot, although not on this aircraft type, and loss of situational awareness means bomb out, not continue. Too slow and too low at the start of a manoeuvre is two mistakes too many in my view.

I did an aerobatic flight over Vegas a couple of years ago. The effect of G-force is unbelievable, but the pilots that are behind you take it in their stride (mind you, they are ex-fighter pilots).

My mate in the next plane stupidly had breakfast which didn't stay down long.

But the driver that took us back to the hotel was saying these guys do two or three flights in the morning, go and have a massive nosebag, then do three more in the afternoon without so much as batting an eyelid.

Me I was almost passing out after the third loop, and I was flying so I thought I was taking it gently.

This is an older guy who is not getting regular practise, and should have known the consequences, so yes, I am a bit surprised he got off with that excuse.

I'm afraid we've seen the flaws of jury trials exposed again.

The defendant came over as an agreeable old chap who was remorseful and therefore was found innocent.

It's the same with justice as it is with democracy. Too many people are just too stupid to be trusted with it.

Ask Harry Redknapp's dog.

Of course tragic, and this is not a hindsight whinge but how can elfinsafety allow these shows when they insist firemen stand by and watch a man drown because under certain conditions it might be dangerous to go in and save him, or prosecute a council because some sleeping cop was 1/4" inch too high, and other nonsensical stuff to justify their existence? I'd bring them over here for a month with no tickets to hand out!

Originally Posted by jabir

Of course tragic, and this is not a hindsight whinge but how can elfinsafety allow these shows when they insist firemen stand by and watch a man drown because under certain conditions it might be dangerous to go in and save him, or prosecute a council because some sleeping cop was 1/4" inch too high, and other nonsensical stuff to justify their existence? I'd bring them over here for a month with no tickets to hand out!

Emergency services have no dog in this fight. They were straight on the scene doing their job.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Emergency services have no dog in this fight. They were straight on the scene doing their job.

The issue was H&S, not emergency services, as foobaa pointed out; well I don't know he made a point or tried to and it was probably about something so coulda been H&S, or maybe emergency services.

Time for beddy-byes foolbag.











Let us know when the spot is hit

^You love thinking about me in bed ..ohhh dahlink!

Bingo

Cyril's lunch box

Originally Posted by foobar

.ohhh dahlink!

Newbie twatish jibbeish

Airshow manuevers should be done over the airfield. There's nobody out there to get hurt, and spectators are all watching from the sidelines anyway. It's the perfect stage. Why fly over busy intersections?

Originally Posted by Texpat

Airshow manuevers should be done over the airfield. There's nobody out there to get hurt, and spectators are all watching from the sidelines anyway. It's the perfect stage. Why fly over busy intersections?

They're mostly done at sea now to avoid civilian casualties.

About 100 metres away from the shore, crap really.

Can remember the Red Arrows flyings a few metres over my head back in the day.

Being metres away from a hovering jump jet.

This twat with an ego fooked it up for everyone show boating.
Silly old cvnt!
RIP the victims.

Originally Posted by Chittychangchang

Can remember the Red Arrows flyings a few metres over my head back in the day.

Being metres away from a hovering jump jet.

All that booze is messing with your memory.

The Red Arrows have never flown jump jets, 'hovering' or otherwise.

File that one with your 'Maine Road Memories'.

Originally Posted by cyrille

All that booze is messing with your memory.

The Red Arrows have never flown jump jets, 'hovering' or otherwise.

File that one with your 'Maine Road Memories'.

A Red Arrow is a Hawk.

A Jump jet is a Harrier.

Shall I post up pics to make it easier for you to understand.
Give Reachy a shout he's always available to help you out

I agree it's exciting to have them close, but eventually something's going to break. I recall the 1988 Ramstein AB crash where the Italian demonstration team crashed directly into the crowd killing 70 spectators and three pilots, and another 346 seriously injured. Following that, the USAF changed the way it coordinated shows.

There was a pretty bizarre incident in that :

"Meanwhile, onlookers are too stunned to react as Nutarelli’s flaming aircraft hurtles toward them carried by its momentum, spinning and cartwheeling in the air like a bird with a broken wing. The jet is nearly belly up when its left wingtip slams into a grassy field just 50 meters short of the front row of spectators.
The nearly 300 gallons of jet fuel in its tank ignite, releasing a tsunami wave of fire. The blazing wreck plows onward, demolishing a police car and smashing through a barbed wire fence into the crowd. It finely skids to a halt as its upends an ice-cream truck, triggering its ejection seat, which launches the pilot’s body into the vehicle".

Separate sentences, Teachy. Separate ideas. Do you require a tutor?

^ The Red Arrows were flying Gnats when they were allowed to fly over the crowd.

I will always remember an airshow at RAF Marham, in the late '60s, where everyone dropped flat on the ground as a lightning came from nowhere, at hangar height, and went vertical just past the crowd line on full reheat. I'm pretty sure that type of airshow was banned by the mid-70's.

Originally Posted by Troy

^ The Red Arrows were flying Gnats when they were allowed to fly over the crowd.

I will always remember an airshow at RAF Marham, in the late '60s, where everyone dropped flat on the ground as a lightning came from nowhere, at hangar height, and went vertical just past the crowd line on full reheat. I'm pretty sure that type of airshow was banned by the mid-70's.

Watching one of those sit on its tail and zoom upwards is one of the most satisfying sights in aviation.

^I remember something similar, they used an old lumbering Russian cargo plane going peacefully round in a circle in the distance to make sure all the crowd were looking in a certain direction, the red arrows then arrived unseen from behind the crowd at hanger height, breaking the sound barrier, so when they suddenly appeared just above our heads and broke into vertical formation, it was in complete silence, until 1-2 seconds later it sounded like the world was ending.