Shoreham airshow tragedy pilot cleared

Andrew Hill, the pilot in control of the vintage Hawker Hunter jet that crashed at the Shoreham Airshow on 22 August 2015, killing 11 men, has been cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence by a London Court.

Hill, 54, a British Airways Airbus captain at the time, was accused of flying “too low and too slow” as he attempted a manoeuvre. The court also heard that Hill at the time  may have been suffering a “cognitive impairment” while at the controls.

At the time of tragedy there were about 20,000 spectators at the airshow  when the eight-tonne ex-military jet crashed on to the busy A27 dual carriageway and erupted into a massive fireball on 22 August 2015.

Hill, from Sandon, Hertfordshire, had denied 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence, claiming he had suffered “cognitive impairment” while at the controls. He told the jury he had no memory of the crash or events immediately prior to it. He was flying by as much as 1,000ft (305 metres) too low, the jury heard.

Of the 11 who died, five were in vehicles on the A27, while the other six were either watching the airshow from a grass verge, or waiting to cross the busy road.

Via The Guardian