Shoreham airshow crash: Investigation could take ‘years’

The investigation into what caused the plane crash at the Shoreham Airshow “will probably take a couple of years at least”, an aviation expert has said.

The death toll after a vintage fighter jet ploughed into a busy road in southern England while performing an acrobatics display could approach 20, police said on Monday, as Britain announced new safety restrictions on airshows.

The Hawker Hunter plane, of a type developed by Britain in the 1950s, struck several cars on Saturday on the major road next to Shoreham airport near Brighton, where the show was taking place.

A large crane was being used to remove the wreckage on Monday afternoon.

The remains of the plane could be taken to the hanger of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in Farnborough, Hampshire, for forensic examination.

Dozens of investigators will be tasked with finding out why the pilot failed to pull out of a loop manoeuvre.

Aviation expert Julian Bray predicted the results of the full inquiry will not be known for several years.

“In this particular case, they will not only learn the lessons, but there is going to be a huge investigation. The investigation will probably take a couple of years at least and then a very detailed report will come out,” he said.

“They have got to recover the fuselage and they will probably take it to Farnborough or they might hire a private warehouse. They will reconstruct the whole aircraft as far as they can to find out what happened.

“Hopefully the pilot will survive and will be able to assist with the debrief.”

The crash site will be examined and witness statements will be taken.

The AAIB has also appealed to members of the public to send them any photographs or video footage of the crash to aid the inquiry.

The regulator said it will publish a preliminary report when the initial stages of the investigation are completed.

The crash was the third - and by far the most deadly - at the event since 2007.

In 2007, a pilot was killed at Shoreham after his second World War Hurricane aircraft crashed just north of the same road and three years later a stunt glider pilot survived a crash there.

The Royal Air Forces Association, which helps organise the show, said on Monday that the team running the event had many years' experience nationally and needed to meet tough safety standards set by Britain's air transport regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Amateur video footage of Saturday’s crash showed two big explosions and black plumes of smoke after the jet hit the ground.

Police said the large number of attendees as well as motorists and cyclists on the road made it difficult to confirm the identities of the victims.

Two footballers from nearby amateur team Worthing United were among those killed, the club said.

The road, a major artery for traffic along the south coast, remained closed on Monday as wreckage of the aircraft was being removed.

The CAA said it had begun a review of airshows and had placed new restrictions on events as a result of Saturday’s crash.

Flying displays over land by vintage aircraft will be significantly restricted and limited to flypasts, with acrobatics banned. No more flights are to be allowed for now by Hawker Hunter aircraft of the type involved in the crash.

Several crashes have occurred during other air displays in Britain in recent years, the latest three weeks ago when a stunt plane crashed at a car festival in Cheshire, northwest England, killing the pilot.

Reuters, PA