Shoreham air crash: More victims 'likely' when jet moved

  • Published
Scene of Shoreham air crashImage source, Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire
Image caption,
The crash scene is spread out over 400 yards of the A27 and into adjoining fields

More victims of the Shoreham air show crash could be found when the wreckage of the jet is moved later, police say.

Eleven people are thought to have died after a plane crashed into a busy main road during Saturday's air show, but that number is expected to rise.

A crane is due to be brought to the scene on the A27 in West Sussex to remove the plane's wreckage.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority said it was considering whether air show safety requirements should change.

The BBC's Tom Bateman said that, as fuel was still in the aircraft, removing the vintage Hawker Hunter would be a delicate operation.

The victims

Image source, PA
Image caption,
Matt Jones (left) Jacob Schilt (centre) and Matthew Grimstone (right) were among those killed

Matt Jones

Matt Jones, 24, a personal trainer, was named by his sister Becky Jones on Facebook as one of the dead.

She posted: "We are devastated to say Matt Jones was one of the fatalities."

Jacob Schilt

Jacob Schilt, 23, was part of Worthing United's Sussex County League Division Two championship-winning side last season.

He was a "tenacious midfielder, a skilful player, with an eye for goal", the club said.

Matthew Grimstone

Matthew Grimstone, 23, played for Worthing United and was thought to have been travelling with Mr Schilt.

Mr Grimstone's family said football was his passion in life and he loved working at Brighton & Hove Albion as well as playing for Worthing United.

Assistant Chief Constable of Sussex Police Steve Barry said: "There are victims that we have in the cars, on motorbikes, pedal cycles and in the seated areas so it makes it very complicated to establish who was where and who we can actually confirm has been a victim of this crash."

He said: "It's probably going to be days rather than hours until the road is fully cleared open again."

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the aviation regulator, said it would examine the circumstances of the crash to see whether improvements could be made to current safety requirements.

In a statement it said: "We immediately commenced our review processes and remain committed to continuously enhancing the safety of all civil aviation and will provide further updates in the days to come."

Media caption,

Amateur footage shows the moment that the Hawker Hunter jet made impact with vehicles on the A27

Sussex Police said no-one on the airfield was injured but the pilot Andy Hill, 51, from Sandon, near Buntingford in Hertfordshire, remained in a critical condition in hospital, having been pulled from the burning wreckage.

It has not been established whether the pilot activated his ejector seat or not.

Image source, PA
Image caption,
The pilot has been named as Andy Hill
Image source, Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA wire
Image caption,
Floral tributes to the victims have been left near the scene of Saturday's tragedy

In a video released by Sussex Police, ACC Barry said: "I've certainly not seen anything like this in my career in terms of the scale, the tragedy and the impact that this is going to have on the local community.

"We are entering the recovery phase of the operation and as we do that we are likely to uncover more fatalities but we are putting in a huge amount of effort in supporting the families and helping them to understand what has happened."

The police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch launched a joint appeal for any members of the public with footage of the accident to send it in to assist the investigation.

Motorists are also being asked to avoid the area as the A27, which was badly damaged during the crash, would be closed for at least another two days.

A pilot of a display team aeroplane was killed earlier this month at the CarFest motoring event in Cheshire.

Kevin Whyman, 39, was flying a Folland Gnat aircraft that came down near the event at Oulton Park on 1 August.

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