Shoreham air crash pilot applies to get flying licence back

Andrew Hill, 60, is appearing in front of a Civil Aviation Authority panel in London.

The pilot involved in the Shoreham Airshow disaster is appealing against the decision to revoke his flying licence (Kirsty O’Connor/PA) (PA Archive)

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 performing a manoeuvre 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.

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.

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.”