Remembering the Shoreham Airshow Tragedy: Five Years On
Today marks the grim fifth anniversary of the Shoreham Airshow crash, a disaster that claimed 11 lives on August 22, 2015. Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this heartbreaking event.
The 11 Victims: Lives Cut Short
These were the men lost in the horrific crash:
- Maurice Rex Abrahams, 76, Brighton
- Dylan Archer, 42, Brighton
- Anthony David Brightwell, 53, Hove
- Matthew Grimstone, 23, Brighton
- Matthew Wesley Jones, 24, Littlehampton
- James Graham Mallinson, 72, Newick
- Daniele Gaetano Polito, 23, Goring by Sea
- Mark Alexander Reeves, 53, Seaford
- Jacob Henry Schilt, 23, Brighton
- Richard Jonathan Smith, 26, Hove
- Mark James Trussler, 54, Worthing
Deadly Loop: What Happened on That Fateful Day
At Shoreham Airport, a vintage Hawker Hunter T7 fighter jet attempted a loop manoeuvre during the airshow but tragically failed. Instead of pulling out, the plane crashed onto the busy A27 road below, striking vehicles and causing devastation. Eleven died instantly, with 16 others injured. The pilot, Andy Hill, survived despite critical injuries.
This was the UK’s worst airshow disaster since the 1952 Farnborough crash that killed 31.
Aftermath: Grounded Jets and Legal Battles
Following the tragedy, all civilian-registered Hawker Hunter jets were grounded across the UK. New rules banned high-energy aerobatic stunts over land, limiting vintage jets to safer flypasts only.
The official investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch blamed pilot error for the crash. Andy Hill faced 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and a charge of endangering an aircraft. But on March 8, 2019, he was found not guilty on all charges.
The Shoreham Airshow organisers denied liability. An inquest into the victims’ deaths was scheduled for 2021, keeping the wounds fresh for many.
