The pilot involved in the Shoreham Airshow disaster has reapplied for his flying licence, it is understood.
Eleven men were killed when Andrew Hill crashed into the A27 road while performing a manoeuvre at the event in West Sussex on Saturday 22 August 2015.
His licence was suspended by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after the incident in a vintage Hawker Hunter.
The makers of a television documentary, Fatal Flight: Shoreham, discovered he has applied for permission to resume flying, the Sun reported.
Anthony Mallinson, whose father Graham, 72, was one of those killed in the crash, told the newspaper this was causing “stress and worry” for the victims’ loved ones.
He said: “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.”
Mr Hill was charged with 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence but, after a trial, was found not guilty in March 2019.
On Tuesday 20 December 2022, West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield ruled at an inquest that his significant errors and “poor” flying led to the 11 men being unlawfully killed.
The CAA said: “Mr Hill’s UK licence is suspended and he remains unable to fly in the UK.
“We cannot comment publicly on whether or not an individual has applied for a UK licence.”
Fatal Flight: Shoreham was broadcast on Discovery+ last night (Thursday 28 December).
Hill chose to do a loop the loop over the A27… the second busiest road in Sussex… resulting in eleven deaths.
If there was any real justice he would’ve also been killed in the ‘incident’.
How he got away with not being convicted of manslaughter, at the very least, is beyond belief.
I am not defending this pilot in way but there were a lot of problems that led up to this crash, had just one of these been dealt with this crash could have been avoided.
Let me explain, the Jet itself had been deemed safe to fly although it had out of date components fitted, had the Authorities not given it a certificate it wouldn’t have flown.
The flying display director, had not been informed of what ‘acts’ this pilot was going to perform, a rule that was broken here by both the pilot and the FDD.
In previous years, the main A27 had the lights switched to permanently green with any traffic coming down from Lancing collage only able to turn left. That year that didn’t happen, had that been in place, the traffic wouldn’t have been stationary. The area was supposed to be clear of spectators, but BHCC hadn’t applied for the temporary road layout or closure to the general public.
Now onto the pilot, the previous year, the Jet violated a no fly zone but it was never reported, it may or may not have been this pilot.
The pilot was stopped at a previous event for low flying and was reported and I think he should have had his licence suspended then while an investigation was carried out but it never happened.
I followed this case from day one and heard what he had to say, and I don’t believe one word he says. However, we can now use those words against him.
He thought he was flying a different Jet and had the wrong settings, so his awareness can be questioned and therefore, not fit to hold a licence.
He had a black out and can’t remember, so unfit to fly.
Previously broke rules and regulations, therefore unfit to hold a licence.
I will be sending my objections to the CAA and I think everybody should to prevent this person ever getting a licence again.
Great research and follow up
No loop the loop was attempted at any point of his display!!!!
Duncan Ridgway.
Err yes it was, he started to low, didn’t gain enough height and came down at the bottom of the loop.
There was a loop the loop
There is a lot of crap talked in these comments.
He didnt choose to do a loop over a busy road at all. At airshows there is a display box which the plane should do its display in but obviously at both ends the plane needs to turn around and there are several ways to do this. Jets fly quickly and at any airshow the plane will fly beyond the airfield boundries to turn etc. Every jet does this, even the red arrows. Whether or not he was beyond a certain boundry, I dont know but I havent heard that he was.
No pilot flys a display with the intention of killing themselves or anybody else for that matter, so whatever happened was unusual.
In a normal aerobatic display the plane will fly through a series of immaginary gates, so for a loop when the plane is inverted at the top the pilot should check the altitude, the speed, and the direction of flight, if any of these are not within a safe envelope the pilot should just roll out and fly off at the top of the loop.
He didnt do this, the question is why not ?.
1) he was incapacitated for some reason, G-lock, spatial disorientation, medical event, etc
2) in error he mentally used the wrong gate values for the type of plane and figure being executed
3) he didnt bother to do gate checks all
4) Instrument failure, so they were reading the wrong values, unlikely
5) engine or airframe fault, not much left to examine really
6) something else
Only the pilot could answer these questions and he says he doesnt remember.
Its a miracle he survived that crash at all, so he obviously endured a severe trauma, so he could be telling the truth.
Regardless, I think there is enough doubt as to what happened that he should not be given his pilots license back, he just isnt safe to be flying solo any more. If he did get his license back, I am pretty sure no air display would ever want him flying a display again, and nor would the public and before he ever was able to do a display again he would have to obtain a DA (Display Authorisation) signed off by a Display Authorisation Examiner, and I am not sure anybody would ever want to take this responsibility on after what happened.
The CAA would have to have a bloody good set of reasons to given him his license back.
Any pilot who could black out shouldn’t be a display pilot. He clearly attempted the loop too low. He is an arrogant person with poor judgment and after killing 11 people , why the hell would He ever want to fly again?
The AAIB don’t make a verdict of pilot error lightly , they are extreme careful and accurate in their reports.
Disgusting man.
If I had killed 11 people and I had been the pilot involved I would never pilot a plane again out of respect for those I killed.
How arrogant!
I hope he is turned down by the CAA
How does this man sleep at nightz
Who knows.
But the sad thing is, he was found not guilty in a law of court so is quite entitled to get his licence back.
I hope he doesn’t.
Well that was a criminal case with a far higher burden of proof than the civil matter of whether he should regain his licence. Beyond all reasonable doubt vs the balance of probabilities. Though how he got found ‘not guilty’ of the criminal matter is beyond belief.
This man shouldn’t be allowed a driving licence, let alone a pilots licence. He should NEVER be allowed to fly again.
Absolutely disgusting that this man got away with killing 11 innocent people,if it had been a car that he was driving,he would have been charged and the book thrown at him.How can he sleep at night and to apply for his pilot license back is unbelievable,it is a kick in the teeth for the people that died that day and their families.Justice needs to be served on this idiot and definitely not get his license back… he is a danger to others.
I cannot imagine a lot of people will be on board with this idea.
He is not showing any remorse for the eleven people that were killed, there is no way he should have is licence back, he is pushing his luck now..
We all make mistakes his mistake was monumental but nevertheless a mistake an error of judgment it happens everyday on the roads which result in terrible results including death but are those who make those mistakes “in many cases deliberately or under the influence of drugs alcohol or phone use” are they expected to loose their licences for life …. No they are not so why should this be any different, shoreham airshow management has condoned high energy manoeuvres over the A27 for many years, many of you have I am sure have enjoyed watching them and not made any complaints as to the safety of those activities, I have seen spitfires and other planes passing so low over the same position of the accident that caused the parked car alarms to be activated, I remember smiles and applause from the onlookers for those manoeuvres and effects, again no word of complaint. A couple of years before this accident a hurricane plane carried out a manoeuvre during a display which resulted in the death of the pilot, although his actions resulted in a crash I would suggest it was as much luck or fortune that no one was killed on the ground, the said pilot has a memorial on the grounds of the airport would this be the case had the result be different?
The organisers of the show and the lions share of the spectators are as much to blame for this terrible accident and to lay the blame at the feet of Andy Hill is not the answer to the difficult dilemma we all face
Drunk or drugged drivers absolutely should lose their licenses for life. It’s a joke that they don’t.
He goes ” sorry but i don’t know what happened that day ” BUT HE DOES KNOW
I wonder what your opinion would be if you were related or friends with one/some of the people who died?
You’re just a low life scumbag troll
Don’t worry, karma will visit you at some point, just like it will with hill
Bob.
People do make mistakes for various reasons and I’m with you there.
However, this pilot violated rules and regulations as laid down by the CAA and airshow guidelines. The rules state, pilots must liase with the FDD in advance of the display and should make contact on the day of the event for any updates etc. It seems this was not done, that is the first x.
Secondly, at a previous event, he was stopped from performing due to being too low. Ok, that might have been a mistake or might have been a defective altimeter. The fact he started too low at this event indicates to me, either the instrument wasn’t checked over if it was a mechanical issue, in which case its a x and the Jet should not have been flown. More likely Pilot error so another x for deliberately ignoring low height rules.
No, he didn’t make a mistake, it was deliberate arrogance.
Interesting comment on Drivers, and you do make a valid case, however, car crashes do not usually result in multiple deaths as such.
We are talking about 11 deaths, innocent people going about their business because they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, taken out by someone who deliberately broke safety rules. You can argue car drivers too broke the rules, and you would be right, but the difference here is, what would the death toll been had he come down in the crowd ? How many hundreds would’ve been killed, how many injured. No, Bob, he shouldn’t get anywhere near a aeroplane again in my opinion.
I remember the Hurricane crash. In the final report, it said there had been a mechanical fault, the pilot managed to steer the aircraft away from the area and crashed in a field, a hero in fact for doing so.
Correct, there are question marks in various quarters with this crash, but at the end of the day, the pilot made some serious errors and broke rules and had a history of it.
Dont forget its the Flying display directors job to control the display and if he didnt get a display plan from the pilot then he too must bear some responsibility for what happened. I dont know whether the FDD did or didnt get a copy of the display routine, but it was his job to do so, maybe complacency all round.
Yes I am sure as you said earlier a life for a life will make things better/right?
You miss the point, like with all accidents there are other mitigating circumstances that need to be addressed, there are clearly other factors as that needed to be or should have been in place but weren’t.
Or are you advocating that during any high risk motorsport activities the driver/rider/pilot should be held souly responsible for there errors in the event of injury or death to a third party?
To troll on an article about 11 people who have died totally unnecessarily is extremely sick.
He’ll yeah his next loop to loop will probably be over the M25 he has no respect for the dead and shouldn’t even have a driving licence it’s just proof that he’s not stable brain damage something is not working because even thinking about flying again wouldn’t be a normal thing to do for someone normal with a working brain….And sick of this mans name victims the family’s 😭😭😭
Good morning, there is no trolling going on here just offering an opinion which everyone is entitled to have, I made some valid points which Matt has added extra clarification to which I appreciate. The point about multiple deaths on the roads however is sadly a fact that results in hundreds of deaths every year sometime into double figures on a single incident, yet the driver who caused the event provided they survived is given the opportunity to continue driving at a later date and is assumed they will if learnt from their mistake, and yes like with all things in life your view on that fact will be dependent on which side of the fence you are sitting, the victim or the perpetrator. For example if you were that driver I am sure you would honestly believe it was an accident, that you didn’t mean to do it and should be given a second chance despite the results of you actions?
And I would also add that having read the official report on the hurricane crash it states in conclusion there were no faults with the aircraft that would of contributed to the crash it was a result of the pilot carrying out an manoeuvre incorrectly.
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the report on the Hurricane, I stand corrected on that one. The one I referred too was more recently at Duxford, June 2020 where the landing gear collapsed due too crosswinds and inexperienced pilot.
Been driving over 50 years and if I was to kill even one person due to my driving I persoanlly woulkd never get behind the wheel again.
Really ? I wouldn’t get in a flight if I knew this pilot was flying it – who knows when he might suffer from “cognitive impairment” again.
Had his ‘memory lapse’ been cured?
This guy has no shame, no scruples and no regrets
I also think he is a dreamer. It ain’t going to happen
Andrew Hill may be intelligent, an experienced pilot and well respected by his friends and colleagues but non of this matters. His word makes him the man he is. He had a choice, to tell the truth and explain honestly what had happened and to admit negligence whilst pursuing a potentially, massively dangerous pastime and to face the consequences of his errors. Alternatively to lie in an attempt to save himself from shame, embarrassment and a prison sentence for killing 11 people as the result of boosting his ego and his addiction for adrenaline fuelled stunts. He chose to go with that old “I blacked out” story, the path of dishonesty. If that’s the truth, he should never fly ever again unless medical examinations can find a problem in his brain and fix it. If he did lose consciousness, then why is he so keen to get his licence back. Any normal person would be terrified of ever flying again. So it’s clearly a lie otherwise he wouldn’t be applying for his licence. He’s an egotistical psychopath who cares little about anything or anyone other than his personal thrill seeking deadly hobby. He wants it both ways, to lie to avoid prison by faking medical issues but also to be able to fly again as if he’s fit and well. He knew exactly what he was doing in that jet but upon realising he had made errors wasn’t man enough to abort the manoeuvre so committed to the loop, flying by the seat of his pants just like the previous year at Southport. A skilled pilot but sadly a deranged mad man who pushes the limits to a place beyond where safety and sanity exist. A risk taker has no place doing what he does. He has no remorse just like a cold hearted killer.
What people dont realise, if he had blacked out he would have ‘gone in’
But he didnt, he was seen pulling the stick back desperately when he knew he was in the shit just before impact.
They all knew this ‘they’ all closed rank, and that is why he got off!
My partner had a crash and he blacked out. It was really serious and he has no memory of it what so ever or before it happened… maybe that’s what he means by he black out. The trauma probs erased all that for him…
Did he ever get his liscence back?