Shoreham Airshow pilot wants flying licence back despite 11 deaths

Andy Hill at Westminster Magistrates Court
Andrew Hill is appealing against the decision to revoke his licence - Jeff Gilbert

The pilot involved in the Shoreham Airshow disaster is appealing against the decision to revoke his flying licence.

Andrew Hill, 60, is appearing in front of a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) panel in London, according to a document published by the regulator.

Eleven men were killed when Mr Hill crashed into the A27 road while manoeuvring at the Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex on August 22, 2015.

His licence was suspended by the CAA following the incident in a Hawker Hunter plane.

Mr Hill was charged with 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence but, after a trial, was found not guilty in March 2019.

A crane removes the remains of a Hawker Hunter fighter jet that crashed onto the A27 road at Shoreham in 2015
The remains of the fighter jet that crashed onto the A27 road in 2015 - LUKE MACGREGOR

West Sussex senior coroner Penelope Schofield ruled at an inquest in December 2022 that his significant errors and “poor” flying led to the 11 men being unlawfully killed.

Mr Hill is seeking the return of his full pilot’s licence.

The two-day hearing at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London began on Wednesday.

A decision is expected to be published up to 10 days after the hearing ends.

Pilot Andrew Hill was performing a stunt in a 1950s Hawker Hunter before it plummeted onto the A27 in West Sussex and exploded into a fireball killing 11 men
Mr Hill’s licence was suspended by the CAA following the incident in a Hawker Hunter plane - Sussex Police/CPS

When it emerged in December last year that Mr Hill wanted to fly again, Anthony Mallinson, whose father Graham, 72, was killed in the Shoreham disaster, told The Sun newspaper it was causing “stress and worry” for the victims’ loved ones.

He said: “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.”

A CAA spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on an ongoing legal case.”