Image copyright PA Image caption Andy Hill is charged with 11 counts of manslaughter

The pilot of a jet which crashed during the Shoreham Airshow has appeared in court charged with killing 11 men.

Andy Hill, 54, of Sandon, Hertfordshire was performing aerobatics when the Hawker Hunter jet crashed on the A27 in Sussex in August 2015.

Mr Hill appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with 11 counts of manslaughter and one count of endangering an aircraft.

He indicated he would be pleading not guilty.

Mr Hill was given bail and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 17 May.

Image copyright PA Image caption The Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 on 22 August 2015

Prosecutor Simon Ringrose confirmed the charges were brought following the fatal crash, which occurred when the vintage jet crashed into traffic on the dual carriageway while trying to execute a loop-the-loop manoeuvre.

Mr Hill was thrown clear of the plane.

He suffered "very serious injuries" as a result, Mr Ringrose said.

Image copyright BBC/Sussex Police/Facebook Image caption (Top row, left to right) Matt Jones, Matthew Grimstone, Jacob Schilt, Maurice Abrahams, Richard Smith. (Bottom row, left to right) Mark Reeves, Tony Brightwell, Mark Trussler, Daniele Polito, Dylan Archer, Graham Mallinson

The victims</s>The Hertfordshire pilot whose plane crashed during the 2015 Shoreham Airshow killing 11 men has appeared in court to indicate not-guilty pleas over the tragedy.

Andrew Hill, 54, of Sandon, Hertfordshire, who performed at airshows at Imperial War Museum Duxford, faces 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft under air navigation laws.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today (April 19) for a 14-minute hearing at which he confirmed his name, date of birth and address.

Senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot released him on bail until his next appearance at the Old Bailey next month.

The crash occurred when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex during a loop-the-loop stunt at the Shoreham Airshow on August 22, 2015.

The 11 men who died were: wedding chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; retired engineer James Mallinson, 72, from Newick, near Lewes; window cleaner and builder Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; cycling friends Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton, and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove; NHS manager Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; grandfather Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford; Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23; personal trainer Matt Jones, 24; and Daniele Polito, 23, from Worthing.

Hill, a trained Royal Air Force instructor and fast jet pilot, was thrown clear of the aircraft, taken to hospital with serious injuries and placed into an induced coma before being discharged.</s>The pilot whose plane crashed during the Shoreham Airshow disaster, killing 11 men, has appeared in court for the first time to indicate not-guilty pleas over the tragedy.

Andrew Hill faces 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of endangering an aircraft under air navigation laws.

The 54-year-old, of Sandon, Hertfordshire, appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court for a 14-minute hearing on Thursday morning at which he confirmed his name, date of birth and address, and indicated a not-guilty plea to all charges.

He will be expected to formally enter pleas at the Old Bailey next month.

The crash occurred when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex during a loop-the-loop stunt at the Shoreham Airshow on August 22, 2015.</s>The pilot whose plane crashed during the 2015 Shoreham Airshow disaster is to stand trial at the Old Bailey over the deaths of 11 men.

Andrew Hill, 54, of Sandon, Hertfordshire, faces 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft under air navigation laws.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday for a 14-minute hearing during which he confirmed his name, date of birth and address, and indicated a not-guilty plea to all charges.

He will be expected to formally enter pleas at the Old Bailey next month.

Prosecutor Simon Ringrose confirmed the crash happened when Hill's vintage Hawker Hunter jet plunged into traffic on the A27 dual carriageway in West Sussex while trying to execute a loop-the-loop manoeuvre on August 22 nearly three years ago.

The 11 men who died were wedding chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; retired engineer James Mallinson, 72, from Newick, near Lewes; window cleaner and builder Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; cycling friends Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton, and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove; NHS manager Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; grandfather Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford; Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23; personal trainer Matt Jones, 24; and Daniele Polito, 23, from Worthing.

Hill, a trained RAF instructor and fast jet pilot, was thrown clear of the aircraft as it crashed. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries and placed in an induced coma before being discharged.

Simon Spence, defending, told the court that his client was no longer flying.

As the first charge of manslaughter was put to Hill following a delay, he told the court: "I'm sorry, for various reasons I don't know anything about the charges."

After taking instruction, he indicated not-guilty pleas.

Senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot released Hill - who wore a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie - on bail.

The trial is due to last up to eight weeks.</s>Share this article with Google Plus

The pilot whose plane crashed during the Shoreham Airshow, killing 11 men, has indicated not-guilty pleas in court over the tragedy.

Andrew Hill, 54, of Sandon, Hertfordshire, faces 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft under air navigation laws.

His vintage Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex during a loop-the-loop stunt at the airshow on August 22, 2015.

The tragedy killed 11 men, Maurice Abrahams, 76, James Mallinson, 72, Mark Trussler, 54, Dylan Archer, 42, Richard Smith, 26, Tony Brightwell, 53, Mark Reeves, 53, Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, personal trainer Matt Jones, 24 and Daniele Polito, 23.

Hill, a trained Royal Air Force instructor and fast jet pilot, was thrown clear of the aircraft, taken to hospital with serious injuries and placed into an induced coma before being discharged.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today for a 14-minute hearing at which he confirmed his name, date of birth and address.

Senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot released him on bail until his next appearance at the Old Bailey next month.

In March, on the same day the pilot was charged, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it was the first national public body to sign up to the Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy.

The charter pledges to be open with those who lose loved ones in major disasters and to treat them in a sensitive manner.

In a statement released at the time the CPS said: ‘Following a careful review of the evidence I have found there is sufficient evidence to charge Andrew Hill with the manslaughter by gross negligence of the 11 men who died.’

Hill was questioned for the first time by police in December 2015 under caution after voluntarily attending an interview but was not arrested.</s>The pilot of a jet which crashed during the Shoreham Airshow has appeared in court charged with killing 11 men.

Andy Hill, 54, of Sandon, Hertfordshire was performing aerobatics when the Hawker Hunter jet crashed on the A27 in Sussex in August 2015.

Mr Hill appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with 11 counts of manslaughter and one count of endangering an aircraft.

He indicated he would be pleading not guilty.

Mr Hill was given bail and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 17 May.

Prosecutor Simon Ringrose confirmed the charges were brought following the fatal crash, which occurred when the vintage jet crashed into traffic on the dual carriageway while trying to execute a loop-the-loop manoeuvre.

Mr Hill was thrown clear of the plane.

He suffered "very serious injuries" as a result, Mr Ringrose said.
• Matthew Grimstone, 23, a Worthing United footballer who worked as a groundsman at Brighton & Hove Albion
• Jacob Schilt, also 23 and also a Worthing United player, was travelling to a match with Mr Grimstone
• Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton, was a chauffeur on his way to pick up a bride on her wedding day
• Friends Richard Smith, 26, and Dylan Archer, 42, who were going for a bike ride on the South Downs
• Mark Reeves, 53, had ridden his motorcycle to the perimeter of Shoreham Airport to take photos of the planes
• Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove was an aircraft enthusiast and had learnt to fly at Shoreham airfield
• Mark Trussler, 54, is thought to have been riding his motorcycle on the A27
• Daniele Polito was travelling in the same car as Mr Jones
• Graham Mallinson, 72, from Newick, was a keen photographer and retired engineer</s>The pilot of the jet which crashed at Shoreham Air Show has appeared in court charged with killing 11 people.

Andrew Hill, of Sandon in Hertfordshire, was attempting to perform a loop-the-loop in a vintage Hawker Hunter plane at the show in August 2015 when the jet crashed into traffic on the A27 dual carriageway.

The 54-year-old faces 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of endangering an aircraft.

Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for a 14 minute hearing, Hill indicated he would be pleading not guilty.</s>The pilot whose plane crashed during the Shoreham Air Show disaster which killed 11 men has arrived at court where he faces manslaughter charges.

Andy Hill, 53, was flying the vintage 1955 Hawker Hunter jet when he lost control during a manoeuvre over the A27 on August 22, 2015.

His jet crashed on the road killing 11 and injuring 13 people. Hill was critically injured in the dramatic crash, which was a result of 'pilot error'.

Today he faces 11 counts of gross negligent manslaughter and one count of endangering an aircraft at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The Crown Prosecution Service and Sussex Police last month met families of those bereaved and injured in the crash to brief them on the investigation which has taken 30 months.

However the display went wrong and his 1955 Hawker Hunter smashed into the A27 in a huge fireball.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch report found Hill was flying 'too low' and 'too slow' to complete the stunt manoeuvre.

Announcing the charges last month, Simon Ringrose of the CPS said: 'The Crown Prosecution Service has considered a full file of evidence received from Sussex Police in relation to the deaths of 11 men at the Shoreham Air Show in 2015.

'At approximately 1.20pm on 22 August 2015, a Hawker Hunter aircraft piloted by Andrew Hill attempted to perform a loop manoeuvre as part of an aerobatic display.

'The aircraft failed to complete the manoeuvre and crashed onto the A27 dual carriageway. Eleven men who were either in vehicles on the carriageway or standing by the roadside were killed in the incident. Mr Hill was thrown clear of the aircraft and although seriously injured he survived.

'Sussex Police conducted a thorough and detailed investigation into the incident and in November 2017 submitted a full file of evidence to the CPS in relation to the actions of the pilot, Andrew Hill.

'In accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, I have considered whether there is sufficient evidence to charge Mr Hill with any offence and if so whether it is in the public interest to do so.

'Following a careful review of the evidence I have found there is sufficient evidence to charge Andrew Hill with the manslaughter by gross negligence of the 11 men who died. I have also authorised a further charge against Mr Hill of endangering an aircraft, contrary to Article 137 of the Air Navigation Order 2009.'</s>The pilot whose plane crashed during the Shoreham Air Show disaster, killing 11 men, has indicated he will plead not guilty to charges of manslaughter.

Andrew Hill, 54, of Sandon, Hertfordshire, faces 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and one count of endangering an aircraft under air navigation laws.

He appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court today where he indicated he will plead not guilty.

Hill will appear at the Old Bailey next month.

The crash occurred when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex during a loop-the-loop stunt at the Shoreham Airshow on August 22, 2015.

The 11 men who died were: wedding chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton; retired engineer James Mallinson, 72, from Newick, near Lewes; window cleaner and builder Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; cycling friends Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton, and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove; NHS manager Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; grandfather Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford; Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23; personal trainer Matt Jones, 24; and Daniele Polito, 23, from Worthing.

Hill, a trained Royal Air Force instructor and fast jet pilot, was thrown clear of the aircraft and rushed to hospital with serious injuries where he was placed in an induced coma before being discharged.</s>Pilot Andrew Hill was thrown clear of the aircraft during the crash

Andrew Hill, 54, denies 11 counts of manslaughter by gross negligence and also denies one count of recklessly or negligently endangering an aircraft under air navigation laws.

During a brief appearance at Westminster magistrates court yesterday he confirmed his name, date of birth and address, before indicating a not guilty plea to all charges.

He will be expected to formally enter pleas at the Old Bailey next month.

Prosecutor Simon Ringrose said the crash happened when Hill's 1955 Hawker Hunter jet plunged into traffic on the A27 in West Sussex while executing a loop-the-loop manoeuvre at Shoreham airshow on August 22 in 2015.

Mr Ringrose said: "During a loop manoeuvre, the aircraft failed to achieve sufficient speed and height and failed to complete the downward part of the loop.

"The aircraft impacted on the dual carriageway, causing 11 fatalities to men either in cars on the road, or in the vicinity."
Jet pilot Andy Hill, accused of eleven counts of manslaughter over a 2015 crash at Shoreham Airshow in England, makes an initial Magistrates' Court appearance. He indicates he will deny the charges and the case is transferred to Crown Court.