2015 Shoreham Airshow crash

2015 Shoreham Airshow crash

The accident aircraft (G-BXFI) in 2013
Accident summary
Date 22 August 2015 (2015-08-22)
Summary Under investigation
Site A27 road, Shoreham Airport boundary, West Sussex, UK
50°50′33″N 0°17′42″W / 50.84241°N 0.294862°W / 50.84241; -0.294862Coordinates: 50°50′33″N 0°17′42″W / 50.84241°N 0.294862°W / 50.84241; -0.294862
TQ 201 061
Crew 1
Injuries (non-fatal)
  •  1 critical (pilot)
  •  3 serious (on ground)
  • 12 other (on ground)
Fatalities 11, all on ground
Survivors 1
Aircraft type Hawker Hunter T7
Operator Canfield Hunter Limited
Registration G-BXFI
Flight origin North Weald Airfield, Essex, United Kingdom
Destination North Weald Airfield
Crash site in West Sussex
Crash site
Crash site shown within West Sussex, United Kingdom

On 22 August 2015, a vintage jet aircraft crashed during a display at the Shoreham Airshow at Shoreham Airport, England, killing 11 people and injuring 16 others. It was the deadliest air show accident in the United Kingdom since the 1952 Farnborough air show crash, which killed 31 people.[1]

The aircraft, a Hawker Hunter T7, failed to complete a loop manoeuvre and crashed onto vehicles on the A27 trunk road. The pilot, Andy Hill, survived the crash, and was placed in a medically-induced coma.[2][3] As a result of the accident, all civilian-registered Hawker Hunter aircraft in the United Kingdom were grounded, and restrictions were put in place on civilian vintage jet aircraft displays over land, limiting them to flypasts and banning high energy aerobatic manoeuvres.

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft performing at Shoreham in 2014

The aircraft was a vintage two-seat Hawker Hunter T7, registration G-BXFI,[4][5] serial 41H-670815,[6] 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.[7] It had been making civilian display flights as a warbird since 1998, under a variety of owners.[7] At the time of the accident, it was owned by Graham Peacock,[8] and based at North Weald Airfield, Essex.[9] The aircraft had flown to Shoreham from North Weald and was scheduled to return there after the display.[6]

Andy Hill, the 51-year-old pilot, was described by colleagues as experienced, with more than 12,000 flight hours. He had 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. As well the Hawker Hunter, he flew a Van's Aircraft RV-8 and a BAC Jet Provost at airshows.[10][11]

Airshow

The aircraft was taking part in the first day of the two-day Shoreham Airshow, held in aid of the Royal Air Forces Association. The conditions were hot and sunny, but with a crosswind up to 15 knots, described as not unusual for Shoreham by the local media. The Hunter had been opening the afternoon session of displays; the morning programme up to 12:30 BST (11:30 UTC) had already featured The Blades aerobatic team (opening), Justyn Gorman Aerobatics, an AutoGyro Calidus, the Tiger 9 Aeronautical Display Team (six aircraft only), a Pitts Special, The Twister aerobatic team (one aircraft only), an RAF Tutor, and the RAF Falcons parachute display team.[12]

Accident

Aerial view looking south-west towards Shoreham airport. The aircraft hit the A27 dual-carriageway between the River Adur, in the foreground, and the runway, while flying approximately in the direction this photo was taken.

Crash

The Hunter commenced its display with a low pass along the runway from south to north, turning for a second pass in the opposite direction. As it neared the airport, it pulled up into an inside loop. This manoeuvre started from a height of 200 feet (61 m),[6][8] which David Learmount later said "left no room for misjudgement".[13] Before it could complete the loop, the aircraft crashed in a nose-high attitude[6] onto the west-bound carriageway of the A27 road[6][14] The aircraft broke into four parts on impact: cockpit, tail, left wing and main body, and right wing,[12] destroying several cars in the process.[15] Fuel escaping from the fuel tanks ignited in a large fireball and plume of smoke immediately following the impact.[6][16] The crash occurred at 13:22 BST (12:22 UTC).[6]

Casualties

Eleven people on the ground were killed,[17] and 16 others were injured.[15] Those confirmed dead included two players from Worthing United F.C., a level 9 team in English football.[18] 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.[19] The driver of the Daimler was subsequently confirmed as one of the victims.[20]

Hill, the pilot, was thrown clear of the aircraft in his ejection seat, which was live when the aircraft departed from North Weald.[6] He survived the crash with serious injuries. He was 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.[21] He was subsequently placed in a medically-induced coma.[22] He was released from hospital in September 2015.[23]

It was feared that more bodies might be recovered from the scene,[21][24] but when the wreckage of the aircraft was removed on 24 August these fears proved to be unfounded.[25][26] All the recovered components of the aircraft were taken to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) facility at Farnborough, Hampshire, for examination.[25]

Response

A de Havilland Sea Vixen was already airborne ready to perform the next display after the Hunter; instead it simply flew overhead at altitude and departed to the North. With an Avro Vulcan due half an hour later at 14:05, it was decided to let it perform a tribute flypast, after which the show was closed.[12] All the aircraft at the airport were already grounded by the lack of fire cover and the creation of an exclusion zone around the accident site.

Following the crash, the A27 was closed in both directions, stranding those attending the airshow. People were initially able to leave the site only on foot, as the main access from the car parks to the A27 was closed. A West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service appliance was first on scene, closely followed by the airport emergency vehicles.[10] It was announced the same day that the second day of the air show on 23 August was cancelled.[27] The A27 reopened on 30 August 2015.[28]

Adur and Worthing Councils (Shoreham Airport is within Adur District) set up online and physical books of condolence.[29] Together with West Sussex County Council they also opened a charitable fund to support victims of the accident, to be administered by the Sussex Community Foundation, a registered charity.[30]

Aftermath

Floral tributes to those who died, on Shoreham Tollbridge near the site of the crash.

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.[31]

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 until further notice,[32][33] although military-registered Hunters were not affected.[34] 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.[35] In January 2016, the CAA announced that it was bringing in stricter requirements for airshows in the United Kingdom. Measures put in place in the immediate aftermath of the accident would remain until the AAIB publishes its Final Report, at which point a review would be made, based on the recommendations in the Final Report.[36]

On 27 August, it was announced that the airshow scheduled to be held at Durham Tees Valley Airport on 29 August had been postponed. Organisers of the airshow stated that the new regulations in place would have "severely limited" some of the displays of the jet aircraft. The airshow would have been the first in the area since 1989.[37]

Other air shows at the following weekend were not postponed but some displays were altered to match the Civil Aviation Authority restrictions, including the Wings and Wheels display at Dunsfold Aerodrome where a one-minute silent tribute to the victims was held before the start of the air display.[38]

In January 2016, Shoreham Airshow Ltd announced that the 2016 show had been cancelled. The organisers added that the possibility of a 2017 airshow would be explored when and if it was appropriate to do so.[39] In February 2016, it was announced that the 2016 Llandudno Airshow had been cancelled. This was due to a lack of time to make changes in light of new regulations introduced by the CAA. The organisers intend that the 2017 airshow will go ahead.[40]

Inquest

A coroner's inquest was opened on 2 September in Horsham, West Sussex. After the naming of all the victims and a minute's silence, the inquest was adjourned until 22 March 2016.[26] On 22 March, a date was set for a pre-inquest review on 19 September. It was revealed that the police had applied to the High Court for permission to obtain evidence relevant to the investigation from the AAIB. A full hearing is proposed to take place in March 2017. However, any prosecution of the pilot could mean that the inquest would be further delayed, depending on the severity of offence being prosecuted.[41]

Investigations

AAIB

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom, sent a team to Shoreham.[42] 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 accident,[14] and received a large number of such recordings from a variety of locations around the airport.[6] The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.[43] The AAIB published an interim report on 4 September. The report stated that "To date, no abnormal indications have been identified. Throughout the flight, the aircraft appeared to be responding to the pilot’s control inputs".[6]

A second special bulletin was published by the AAIB on 21 December 2015. It revealed that the aircraft was not compliant with its Permit to Fly insofar as the ejection seat cartridges installed in the aircraft had passed their expiry date. The maintenance organisation had ordered new cartridges in January 2014, but the new cartridges did not arrive until June 2015, a year and a half after ordering them, and two months before the accident. The maintainer of the aircraft stated it was acting under the privileges of its maintenance approvals. The Civil Aviation Authority was reported to be of the view that the maintainer did not have such privilege.[44]

An issue with compliance with a Mandatory Permit Directive (MPD) in relation to time between engine overhauls raised questions whether the aircraft's Permit to Fly was valid on the day that it was issued. The CAA stated that it was unclear whether an Alternative Means of Compliance (AMOC) was in effect at the time for the accident aircraft, which would mean the Permit to Fly was valid. According to the AAIB's second interim report, "On this basis [the CAA] could not determine if the aircraft met the requirements of its Permit to Fly from December 2014 onwards."[44](p10) The second special bulletin made seven safety recommendations.[44]

A third update was published on 10 March 2016. The Special Bulletin covered the organisation of the airshow at Shoreham, and also the United Kingdom in general, with particular attention to risk management. Comparison was made with how airshows are organised in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States. British civil and military rules were examined separately. It was reported that at the 2014 Shoreham Airshow, G-BFXI had overflown Lancing with a bank angle in excess of 90°. The pilot had not been instructed to stop his display. The AAIB did not name the pilot of G-BFXI who flew the 2014 display. It was also reported that the Flying Display Director at both displays did not have prior knowledge of the display intended to be flown. The issue of low flying during air displays was investigated. A previous accident involving glider BGA 4665 at an air race in Leicestershire in August 2005 had resulted in a recommendation to the CAA to change a rule. This had not been done and new rules subsequently introduced had the effect of leaving that rule unchanged, despite the CAA agreeing with the recommendation to change it. It was noted that the police had no powers to prevent people from watching an airshow from outside the boundaries of the venue where it was taking place. In the case of Shoreham, neither Sussex Constablulary nor the organisers had asked for such powers. Signs had been put out stating that viewing was prohibited and that offenders may be prosecuted. Another issue looked at was how often CAA Flight Standards Officers attended airshows. Only 1.4% of airshows in 2014 and 7.1% of airshows in 2015 had been attended. Fourteen recommendations were made.[45]

Sussex police

Sussex Constabulary opened a separate investigation into the accident. The pilot was released from hospital in early September 2015.[23] He was interviewed by police in December.[46] In February 2016, it was announced that the police investigation was being extended to cover an incident at an airshow in Southport, Merseyside, which occurred in August 2014.[47] That incident involved a BAC Jet Provost aircraft which had descended too low and got too close to the crowd line whilst being displayed by Hill. He was ordered to cease flying the display by the airshow's Flying Display Director.[48] A CAA Flight Standards Officer did not attend that airshow.[45]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Shoreham Airshow crash: Pilot in critical condition". TV News Room. TV News Room. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Shoreham Air Show crash: 'Highly likely' 11 people dead". BBC News. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Up To 20 People Killed In Air Show Disaster". Sky News Room. sky.com. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "GINFO 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "AAIB Bulletin 3/2015 SPECIAL" (PDF). Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Hawker Hunter – Survivor WV372 (G-BXFI)". Thunder & Lightnings. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  8. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 "Vulcan flypast pays tribute after crash", Shoreham Herald, 22 August 2015.
  13. ↑ Barrett, David (5 September 2015). "Shoreham air disaster pilot began fatal loop-the-loop 300ft lower than allowed". The Telegraph.
  14. 1 2 "Shoreham plane crash: Seven dead after Hawker Hunter hits cars". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  15. 1 2 Chris Johnston. "Seven people dead after plane crashes on to cars during Shoreham air show". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Amateur video shows Shoreham Air Show crash". BBC News (BBC). BBC. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "Shoreham air crash death toll 'rises to 11'". BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  18. ↑ "Two Footballers En Route To Away Game Named As Victims Of Shoreham Crash". RTLEC. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Wedding car destroyed on its way to pick up bride". Metro. 24 August 2015. p. 2.
  20. ↑ "Daimler chauffeur was air crash victim". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Shoreham air crash: Pilot 'fighting for life'". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  22. ↑ "Shoreham Airshow crash: Vintage jet restrictions announced". BBC. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Shoreham Air Show crash: Pilot Andy Hill to be quizzed by police". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  24. ↑ Yan, Lee, Holly, Ian. "Air show crash: Police say death toll "may rise" as high as 20". CNN. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  25. 1 2 "Shoreham Airshow crash: Crane removes jet wreckage". BBC News. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  26. 1 2 "Shoreham air crash inquests: Last victim Graham Mallinson named". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  27. ↑ shorehamairshow (22 August 2015). "Shoreham Airshow" (Tweet).
  28. ↑ "Shoreham Air Show: A27 reopens after plane crash". BBC News. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  29. ↑ "Shoreham Airshow Book of Condolence". Adur and Worthing Councils. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  30. ↑ "Official fund for Shoreham Airshow crash donations". Worthing Herald. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  31. ↑ "No changes to Clacton Airshow following Shoreham tragedy". Essex County Standard. Newsquest. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  32. ↑ Khomami, Nadia (24 August 2015). "Shoreham air crash: vintage jet aircraft displays to be significantly restricted – latest updates". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  33. ↑ "Safety Directive: Number SD-2015/003" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  34. ↑ "News: Aug 2015 – HHA comment to Shoreham Hunter crash – not an HHA aircraft". Hawker Hunter Aviation. Hawker Hunter Aviation.
  35. ↑ "Daring displays banned to make air shows safer". Metro. pp. 1, 4.
  36. ↑ "CAP 1371: UK Civil Air Display Review: Actions that impact on UK civil air displays in 2016" (PDF). Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  37. ↑ "Durham Tees Valley air show postponed". BBC News Online. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  38. ↑ Tributes to crash victims at Dunsfold air show
  39. ↑ "Shoreham Airshow cancelled after crash which killed 11 people". BBC News Online. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  40. ↑ Waddington, Marc. "Llandudno Air Show 2016 cancelled". Daily post. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  41. ↑ "Red tape delaying investigation into Shoreham Airshow disaster". Brighton Argus. Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  42. ↑ "The AAIB has deployed a team to Shoreham". Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  43. ↑ "Shoreham air disaster: Floods slow air crash searches". BBC News Online. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  44. 1 2 3 "AAIB Bulletin S4/2015 SPECIAL" (PDF). Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  45. 1 2 "AAIB Bulletin S1/2016 SPECIAL" (PDF). Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  46. ↑ "Shoreham crash: Pilot Andy Hill interviewed by police". BBC News Online. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  47. ↑ "Shoreham air crash: Probe looks at 'second airshow incident'". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  48. ↑ "ITV News exclusive: Shoreham air crash pilot 'involved in second incident'". Independent Television News. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
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