Vintage jets banned from aerobatics over land

A statement by the CAA said: “The thoughts of everyone at the Civil Aviation Authority remain with all of those affected by the tragic accident at the Shoreham air show.

“Following the accident we immediately began an urgent review and have, today, announced a series of immediate restrictions and changes to UK civil air displays.”

The announcement came as the family of the former RAF pilot Andy Hill, whose fighter jet crashed, said that they were “devastated at the loss of life”.

A statement released on behalf of the family said: “Following the tragic events at the Shoreham Airshow on Saturday, the pilot’s family are devastated and deeply saddened for the loss of life, and they send their prayers and heartfelt condolences to the families of all those affected at this difficult time.

“Andrew Hill remains in critical condition. He has multiple injuries and is in a medically induced coma. His family pay tribute to the emergency services for their highly professional response following the accident and to the medical team at the Royal Sussex County Hospital for the care they are continuing to provide to Andrew.”

Mr Hill, 51, a former RAF instructor who now works for British Airways, has 2,000 hours’ of flying time and is an experienced display and aerobatic pilot.

It has been reported that the Red Arrows display team had on numerous occasions refused to do aerobatics at the Shoreham Airshow because of the relatively small area in which to safely perform. Its appearances had been limited to fly-pasts, a source told The Mirror, although the Ministry of Defence refused to comment on those claims.

The Royal Air Forces Association (Rafa), which organised the Shoreham event and many others like it around the country, said safety standards at air displays in Britain were “among the very highest in the world”.

It said: “All air display arrangements, including the pilots and aircraft, must meet rigorous safety requirements and are regularly reviewed to ensure they provide the highest possible levels of protection.

“At Shoreham we have always taken those safety arrangements very seriously.”

A crane arrived at the site this morning to remove the crashed Hawker Hunter jet and forensics investigators were continuing to work at the scene.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch said an initial report into the accident could be ready in a matter of weeks.

Rafa said all pilots were certified and authorised by the CAA before being allowed to do display routines and air shows were subject to stringent and ever-evolving safety standards laid down by the authority. The association said it would not comment further on the circumstances surrounding the accident nor wider arrangements for other shows until the investigation was completed.

Neil McCarthy, a fellow pilot who has known Mr Hill for seven or eight years on the “air show scene”, said his friend was one of only six who flew the Hawker Hunter.

He said: “He’s a great guy to be around; a fantastic, exceptional pilot and mentor.

“They’re a small breed, there are probably only five [Hawker Hunter] aircraft flying at the minute and Andy is one of only about six pilots qualified to fly it.

“From my recollection he learnt to fly the aircraft about five years ago. But of course Andy’s experience goes back to the RAF. To be fair what Andy did is exactly what I would expect to see… from my point of view it looked exactly the way it should be done.

“The entry speed from what I’ve seen looked acceptable, the height is hard to judge but the height looked enough to me, Andy was on board and I’m sure he knew he had enough height to complete the manoeuvre. If he didn’t then he has the experience to roll out of the manoeuvre at the top and not complete it.

“But so many things can go wrong, there can be bird strikes, engine failure, and engine fire, there could be all sorts.”

Analysis of video, photographs and witness accounts by The Times suggests that dozens of people were watching the air show from grass verges along the A27 when the jet crashed as little as 50 metres away from them. The aircraft skidded along the road between at least two groups of people while a third group watched in horror near by. It was unclear whether any of the spectators were hurt or killed.

One expert said that human error was emerging as the most obvious cause of the incident after Mr Hill appeared to fly beneath the normal 500ft minimum threshold for displays. It is believed that the aircraft was travelling at about 400mph when the stunt was performed. Mr Hill survived but remains critically ill in hospital. Police said that he was in no condition to assist with their inquiry.

Two of the dead were named as Jacob Schilt and Matthew Grimstone, both 23 and semi-professional footballers from Brighton. They were travelling to play in a home fixture for Worthing United. Matthew Jones, 24, a personal trainer from Littlehampton in West Sussex, also died.

The motorcycle of Mark Trussler, 49, was said last night to be among the wreckage. His fiancée, Giovanna Chirico, 33, a care worker from Worthing, has reported him missing.

The driver of a Daimler limousine, who was travelling to collect a bride on her wedding day, was also missing as was Daniele Polito, a father from Worthing who was thought to have been in the same car as Mr Jones.

Mr Grimstone’s mother, Sue, said that the show should never have been allowed to take place over the busy road. “Air shows should be over the sea,” she told the Daily Telegraph. “It should never have been over that road. It’s such a waste.”