Shoreham Airshow disaster: Apology from coroner as inquest begins seven years after tragedy

Eleven men were killed when a Hawker Hunter jet crashed onto the A27 during a display at the Shoreham Airshow on Saturday, August 22 in 2015. A further 13 people were injured after the deadliest air show incident in UK for more than 50 years.

An inquest began at County Hall North in Horsham this afternoon (Wednesday, November 30).

Opening the hearing, West Sussex senior coroner Penelope Schofield expressed her ‘deepest regret’ that families had been made to wait so long to get answers.

She said: “You've all waited far longer than I could ever have wished for. I am so sorry you've waited so long.”

Mrs Schofield said delays were initially caused by the criminal proceedings against the surviving pilot, Andy Hill. He was found not guilty of 11 charges of manslaughter by gross negligence following a lengthy trial.

Mr Hill, who attended the opening day of the inquest – along with the families of the 11 victims – is said to have no memory of the crash. The pilot will not give evidence during the inquest, which is due to run until Monday, December 19

The coroner also ‘needed to wait for the outcome’ of the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigation, before proceeding with the inquest, which was further delayed by the pandemic.

Mrs Schofield added: “The bereaved were kept waiting once more when I decided to make application to high court to scrutinise material available at the criminal trial.

“On February 4 this year, the high court determined I should not be provided the material. They said the AAIB investigation had covered it and there was no public interest in reinvestigating it.

“They said, as a matter of principle, there should not be duplicative investigation. I am not permitted to reinvestigate matters already covered.”

The coroner said the scope of the inquest will be ‘much more limited’ than what ‘might have been anticipated by the families’.

"I am very sorry for the delay the families experienced in coming to this,” Mrs Schofield said.

The cause of the crash was dealt with by AAIB investigators – ‘already set out in the final report’.

Witnesses, however, will be called to ‘set the scene’, whilst emergency service personnel will outline their response.

The remit of the coroner’s investigation is now limited to; the cause of death and planning / organisation of air shows and aerobatic displays and any steps taken to safeguard members of the public including bystanders and users of the A27.

Mrs Schofield will also look at who was responsible for assessing and managing the risk, with evidence to be heard from Sussex Police, local councils and the highways authority.

"We will consider making reports to prevent future deaths,” the coroner said.

The 11 men who died were; Maurice Rex Abrahams, 76, of Brighton; Dylan Archer, 42, of Brighton; Anthony David Brightwell, 53, of Hove; Matthew Grimstone, 23, of Brighton; Matthew Wesley Jones, 24, of Littlehampton; James Graham Mallinson, 72, of Newick; Daniele Gaetano Polito, 23, of Goring-by-Sea; Mark Alexander Reeves, 53, of Seaford; Jacob Henry Schilt, 23, of Brighton; Richard Jonathan Smith, 26, of Hove, and Mark James Trussler, 54, of Worthing.

Day one of the inquest heard emotional ‘pen portrait’ tributes from the families of three of the victims – James Mallinson, Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt.

The inquest will continue on Friday (December 2).