Internationally-recognised aviation expert and campaigner David Hill has published an analysis of the Shoreham Airshow accident, in which he concludes the tragedy was the result of compound failures in oversight, regulation, maintenance gaps, risk management and pilot error.
The crash, he argues in his latest book Shoreham: Collective Responsibility, was a “long time in the making”.
In August 2015, a vintage ex-RAF Hawker Hunter T7 jet failed to complete the aerobatic manoeuvre it was performing during the Shoreham Air Show and crashed on to the A27 in West Sussex. It claimed the lives of 11 innocent bystanders and left many more with life-changing injuries. In the aftermath, public scrutiny focused on the pilot, Andrew Hill (no relation to the author).
An experienced former-RAF and commercial pilot, Andrew Hill had performed the same manoeuvre successfully in the same aircraft just weeks earlier at an air show in Ireland. After the Shoreham accident, he was tried and acquitted of gross negligence manslaughter, but the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) revoked his pilot’s licence. He has no recall of the events of the accident.
“This is not about absolving the pilot of his errors…he messed it up,” says investigator David Hill, a former MoD aeronautical engineer. “The book seeks to explain why the pilot was acquitted, and in doing so addresses the broader systemic issues that enabled this tragedy, from regulatory oversights to serviceability gaps, and understanding how collective responsibility must be acknowledged in aviation safety.”
With a reputation built on his work on the RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre in June 1994, RAF Nimrod XV230 in September 2006 in Kandahar, and the subsequent legal reviews, David Hill delivers a meticulous analysis of the events, investigations, and judicial proceedings surrounding one of the UK’s most devastating airshow disasters.
With forensic thoroughness, Hill examines the history of G-BXFI – the plane which crashed – its design, modifications, serviceability and certification, alongside the pilot’s flying history and the timeline of events at the airshow.
Hill explains and expands upon the Air Accidents Investigation Branch’s (AAIB) given reasons why the aircraft was not airworthy, exploring why past failings were allowed to happen again.
An aviation accident expert with eight books under his belt, Hill also examines the chain of command that governs public air displays, questioning where the accountability lies. He raises crucial questions about the role of the various regulatory bodies, the AAIB, the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority), and the MoD (Ministry of Defence), alongside that of the air show organisers.
Hill says there is a general assumption that “because the pilot blundered, only he must be to blame (for the accident).” This, he argues, overlooks systemic faults which are a collective responsibility that should be officially acknowledged. Failure to do so does not serve the industry or the public to drive forward safety standards throughout aviation, he states.
“There is”, he says, “a consistent refusal of the authorities and regulators to implement their own rules. All the warning signs were there, and had been previously noted by the AAIB.”
David Hill’s expert analysis builds on decades of investigative experience and advocacy for transparency and reform in military and civil aviation. He has provided advice and assistance to families of servicemen and civilians who have perished in military aircraft accidents, notably Chinook ZD576, Nimrod XV230 and Hercules XV179, which was shot down in Iraq in 2005.
A retired aeronautical engineer, Hill worked in the Ministry of Defence for over 30 years, primarily as an Avionics/Aircraft Programme Manager.
Proceeds from the book will support St. Richard’s Hospice in Worcester, continuing Hill’s commitment to justice and community impact. HIll hopes that military, aviation, and legal professionals take heed, and use his analysis in Shoreham: Collective Responsibility as a vital resource for understanding the complexities of air accident investigations, and the need for truly independent and properly resourced oversight, to ensure such tragedies are never repeated.
Availability: Shoreham: Collective Responsibility is published by Nemesis Books in paperback and for Kindle and is available on Amazon.
