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| Shoreham air crash: vintage jet aircraft displays to be 'significantly restricted' | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Vintage jets have been banned from “high energy” aerobatic displays until further notice, the aviation regulator has said in the wake of the Shoreham air crash that is feared to have killed up to 20 people. | |
| Flying displays over land by vintage aircraft will be “significantly restricted” to flypasts only, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said, while all Hawker Hunter aircraft are to be temporarily grounded in the wake of Saturday’s disaster. | |
| Andrew Hill, a former RAF instructor and British Airways captain, was flying a 1950s Hawker Hunter when it failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre and plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex before bursting into a ball of flames. | |
| As the identities of some of the deceased started to emerge and the wreckage of the plane was removed, Hill’s family said the 51-year-old had suffered multiple injuries and was in a medically-induced coma. | |
| The crash – one of UK’s worst ever airshow disasters – has led to calls for safety precautions at public air displays to be tightened, including demands that aerobatic displays should only take place over the sea. | |
| In a statement on Monday, the CAA said it launched an urgent review after the incident and a series of immediate restrictions and changes to UK civil air displays had been put in force. | |
| As well as restricting flying displays and grounding Hawker Hunters, the CAA is to conduct additional risk assessments on all forthcoming civil air displays to establish if additional measures should be introduced. | |
| It said: “The safety standards that must be met by all major civil air displays in the UK are among the very highest in the world and are regularly reviewed. | |
| All air display arrangements, including the pilots and aircraft, must meet rigorous safety requirements. Individual display pilots are only granted approval following a thorough test of their abilities.” | |
| The announcement came as the family of the pilot involved in the Shoreham air crash reached out to relatives of other victims of the disaster, sending their prayers and condolences as police warned that the death toll could rise to as many as 20 people. | |
| Andrew Hill, a former RAF instructor and British Airways captain, was flying the 1950s Hawker Hunter when it failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre and plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex before bursting into a ball of flames. | Andrew Hill, a former RAF instructor and British Airways captain, was flying the 1950s Hawker Hunter when it failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre and plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex before bursting into a ball of flames. |
| As the identities of some of the deceased started to emerge and the wreckage of the plane was removed, Hill’s family said the 51-year-old had suffered multiple injuries and was in a medically-induced coma. | As the identities of some of the deceased started to emerge and the wreckage of the plane was removed, Hill’s family said the 51-year-old had suffered multiple injuries and was in a medically-induced coma. |
| The crash – one of UK’s worst ever airshow disasters – has led to calls for safety precautions at public air displays to be tightened, including demands that aerobatic displays should only take place over the sea. | The crash – one of UK’s worst ever airshow disasters – has led to calls for safety precautions at public air displays to be tightened, including demands that aerobatic displays should only take place over the sea. |
| Related: Shoreham plane crash pilot in medically induced coma, family reveal – latest updates | Related: Shoreham plane crash pilot in medically induced coma, family reveal – latest updates |
| But the Royal Air Forces Association (Rafa), which organises the Shoreham airshow, defended its safety record and said standards at air displays in Britain “are among the very highest in the world”. | But the Royal Air Forces Association (Rafa), which organises the Shoreham airshow, defended its safety record and said standards at air displays in Britain “are among the very highest in the world”. |
| It emerged that Hill, known as Andy, was selected to fly the plane last month and a fellow pilot, Chris Heames, had been originally listed in the airshow’s programme. | It emerged that Hill, known as Andy, was selected to fly the plane last month and a fellow pilot, Chris Heames, had been originally listed in the airshow’s programme. |
| In a statement on Monday, Hill’s 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.” | In a statement on Monday, Hill’s 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.” |
| Three people – Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, and personal trainer Matt Jones, 24 – were among those killed in the crash. | Three people – Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, and personal trainer Matt Jones, 24 – were among those killed in the crash. |
| Motorcyclist Mark Trussler, from Worthing, is missing, while fears have also been raised over Daniele Polito, a father from Worthing, who was travelling in the same car as Jones when the plane crashed. | Motorcyclist Mark Trussler, from Worthing, is missing, while fears have also been raised over Daniele Polito, a father from Worthing, who was travelling in the same car as Jones when the plane crashed. |
| Police said on Sunday that they feared 11 people had died but Asst Ch Con Steve Barry of Sussex police said on Monday this figure could rise as high as 20. | Police said on Sunday that they feared 11 people had died but Asst Ch Con Steve Barry of Sussex police said on Monday this figure could rise as high as 20. |
| “To give people a sense of scale and also the number of people we are trying to work with in terms of the movements of their loved ones, then I would be really surprised if it would be more than 20,” he said. | “To give people a sense of scale and also the number of people we are trying to work with in terms of the movements of their loved ones, then I would be really surprised if it would be more than 20,” he said. |
| The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the independent specialist aviation regulator, said it would examine the circumstances around the crash to determine whether safety requirements needed improving. | The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the independent specialist aviation regulator, said it would examine the circumstances around the crash to determine whether safety requirements needed improving. |
| Grimstone’s mother Sue, from Brighton, told the Daily Telegraph the death of her son was “a waste”, adding: “Airshows should be over the sea. It should never have been over that road.” | Grimstone’s mother Sue, from Brighton, told the Daily Telegraph the death of her son was “a waste”, adding: “Airshows should be over the sea. It should never have been over that road.” |
| Labour MP Grahame Morris said airshows should be “limited to displaying over water”, while fellow Labour MP Graham Stringer, a former chairman of Manchester airport and ex-member of the Commons transport committee, told the Daily Mirror “there should be a serious look at the regulations with a view to tightening them up”. | Labour MP Grahame Morris said airshows should be “limited to displaying over water”, while fellow Labour MP Graham Stringer, a former chairman of Manchester airport and ex-member of the Commons transport committee, told the Daily Mirror “there should be a serious look at the regulations with a view to tightening them up”. |
| However, Rafa, the RAF membership organisation and registered charity, insisted that safety standards at air displays in Britain “are among the very highest in the world”. | However, Rafa, the RAF membership organisation and registered charity, insisted that safety standards at air displays in Britain “are among the very highest in the world”. |
| It added: “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.” | It added: “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.” |
| It confirmed that Hill was not originally meant to pilot the plane but stressed that both he and Heames were highly experienced pilots who would often swap positions. | It confirmed that Hill was not originally meant to pilot the plane but stressed that both he and Heames were highly experienced pilots who would often swap positions. |
| Flowers and tributes to the victims have been placed close to where the plane came down on a footbridge that has become a makeshift shrine. | Flowers and tributes to the victims have been placed close to where the plane came down on a footbridge that has become a makeshift shrine. |
| Tributes left to victims of Shoreham airshow crash pic.twitter.com/Wxv1yhkDZc | Tributes left to victims of Shoreham airshow crash pic.twitter.com/Wxv1yhkDZc |
| Claudia Berman, 47, left a bouquet of flowers in the colours of Worthing United football club, which lost two of its players in the crash. | Claudia Berman, 47, left a bouquet of flowers in the colours of Worthing United football club, which lost two of its players in the crash. |
| “My family’s been involved with Worthing United for 15 years so it hits home doubly hard,” she said. “I just feel so bad that our lovely little town has been marked by this tragedy.” | “My family’s been involved with Worthing United for 15 years so it hits home doubly hard,” she said. “I just feel so bad that our lovely little town has been marked by this tragedy.” |
| A crane started to lift debris from the crash site at midday and police fear the clearance will reveal more bodies. Recovery of the plane is expected to be completed on Monday. | A crane started to lift debris from the crash site at midday and police fear the clearance will reveal more bodies. Recovery of the plane is expected to be completed on Monday. |
| The crane to lift the plane wreckage in #Shoreham has been deployed @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/33Bejy3Z53 | The crane to lift the plane wreckage in #Shoreham has been deployed @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/33Bejy3Z53 |
| Parts of the aircraft will be taken to Farnborough in Hampshire to be examined by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which has launched an inquiry into the incident. | Parts of the aircraft will be taken to Farnborough in Hampshire to be examined by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which has launched an inquiry into the incident. |