Shoreham air crash: plane wreckage removed – as it happened

Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, has been at the crash-site and has posted a series of tweets.

Motorists have been warned the section of the A27 affected by the Shoreham air crash will remain closed in both directions until Saturday.

The major A-road will be closed between the junctions of the A205 near Lancing and the A283 near Shoreham-by-Sea, Highways England said.

The transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said the government is supporting efforts to ensure air displays are safe.

I offer my sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic accident, especially to the families who have lost loved ones.

The Government is offering its full support to both the Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch to ensure everything possible is being done to find out what happened and ensure air displays take place safely and follow the highest standards.

Brighton City Airport is enforcing a no fly zone over a two nautical mile radius of the airport and the site of the air crash until further notice.

A minute’s silence will be held at this week’s Capital One Cup matches to remember the Shoreham air crash victims.

Two of the disaster’s victims, Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, played for Worthing United FC, and were travelling to a Southern Combination Premier Division fixture when their vehicle was struck by the aircraft.

Both men were supporters of Brighton and Hove Albion FC, the club where Grimstone had also been employed for the last 7 years.

Shaun Harvey, chief executive of The Football League, said: “This minute’s silence will give football fans across the country the opportunity to pay their respects to Matthew, Jacob and all those who lost their lives in this terrible accident.

“On behalf of The Football League our condolences go to everybody at Brighton and Hove Albion, Worthing United and to all those outside of the football family who have been rocked by Saturday’s shocking events.”
All 24 Capital One Cup Round 2 fixtures will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Books of Condolence have been opened at municipal buildings across West Sussex for the community to share messages of support and sympathy for those affected by the air crash.

The flag is flying at half-mast at County Hall in Chichester, while books of condolence have been opened at the following venues:

• Centenary House, Durrington
• County Hall, Chichester
• County Hall North, Horsham
• Adur Civic Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea
• Worthing Town Hall, Worthing

An online book of condolence is also available at: www.shorehamcondolence.org

West Sussex county council chairman Pat Arculus said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those people who were killed or injured in Saturday’s tragedy.

“I would also like to express my thanks to all the emergency services who are showing incredible bravery and professionalism in extremely difficult circumstances. Our staff will continue to support the families of those affected by the tragedy.”

The ex-girlfriend of a young father who is believed to have been among the victims of the Shoreham airshow disaster has said she is staying strong for the couple’s son.

It is understood that Daniele Polito, 23, was travelling in Matt Jones’s BMW when the Hawker Hunter jet crashed into the A27, reports local newspaper the Worthing Herald.

The former couple’s son, Georgio Polito, is three years old. His mother, named by the paper as Tanya Ellen, said she had been visited by police at her home in East Preston on Sunday to discuss his disappearance.

She confirmed yesterday that Daniele had still not been found but stressed it was not until he was formally identified would she know he was dead.

She said: “I don’t even know what is going on, but I am being strong for my son. If it is the worst outcome then Daniele will be very, very missed.”

She had earlier written on Facebook that Jones’s sister had told her that Polito had been killed. On Sunday she wrote: “It isn’t yet confirmed about Daniele but it really isn’t looking too good.

“I’m sure when, or if, it is confirmed you will all hear about it on here or on the news. Thank you everyone for the messages though.”

A friend of the young father wrote on Facebook on Sunday: “Fingers crossed for Daniele Polito a great friend to many, a father to a young little boy and to all those of his family members.

“A young man with his life ahead of him.

“My heart goes out to everyone that knows him and that are praying that someone hears from him since he hasn’t been seen nor heard of since 12 o’clock yesterday afternoon.

“He was travelling in the car with Matt Jones, another person close to my partner who has been pronounced dead in his car makes it quiet worrying.

“Praying we hear from you soon mate x.”

Friend Reece Gregson added: “Daniele Polito what a lad my thoughts are with your family and little one always laughing and smiling never down beat top lad x x.”

Chris Heames, the pilot originally listed in the airshow’s programme before being replaced last month by Andy Hill, has said he was alerted to the crash by worried friends while holidaying with his family in Cambodia. Heames told the Daily Mirror he is now praying that his “best pal” recovers from his injuries.

I was originally pencilled in to the fly the jet at Shoreham. But after organising it I booked a three-week holiday to Cambodia, so Andy did the show. Both of us are equally qualified and experienced to fly the aircraft and each do half of the displays each year.

[My friends] saw it on the news and knew it was the plane I usually fly. They thought it was me. I watched the footage, of course I have, but I’m not going to speculate on what might have gone wrong. The Air Accident Investigation Branch are looking into it and will publish a report in due course. It would be entirely wrong to speculate.

Heames described Hill as an “exceptional pilot” who used to fly Harriers for the RAF.

That shows how well respected he is. Only the best pilots were trusted to fly the Harriers.

He is a great friend and an exceptional pilot. I haven’t spoken to his wife, I’m leaving her to be with Andy.

I’m just hoping he pulls through. Right now he’s still in a critical condition.

Asked what his friend would think about the loss of life, Heame replied: “He’ll be devastated, obviously.”

A private ambulance leaves the crash site.

The driver of a classic Daimler wedding car, who was on his way to pick up a bride for her wedding service, is believed to be among those killed in the crash. The company, Chariots Chauffeurs, believe the male driver, who has not been named, died in the tragedy. Jay Sherwin, the company’s owner, said:

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of our driver who was caught up in the tragic air crash on Saturday afternoon in Shoreham, West Sussex. We ask the media to respect the privacy of his family.

John Turner, chairman of the British Air Display Association, says the UK has not seen an accident like Saturday’s crash at Shoreham in almost 63 years, as the rules governing air displays are robust.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has appealed for images or videos of the Shoreham crash.

Members of Brighton and Hove Albion football club have left tributes to their colleague Matt Grimstone who died in the crash.

As well as working for Brighton’s ground staff, Grimstone supported the club.

He also played in goal for Worthing United FC and was on the A27 in a car en route to a match when he and fellow Worthing player Jacob Schilt were killed.

Grimstone’s colleagues laid a green goalkeeper’s Jersey with his name on in and a Brighton and Hove Albion hoodie next to the dozens of floral tributes already left there. Many cried and embraced each other.

Head groundsman Steve Winterburn said there was “something exceptional” about Grimstone.

“Our ground staff are a very tight team like any great team,” he said.

“We all loved Matt dearly. Matt was one if the kindest people you could meet. He never had an unkind word to say about anyone. We are all feeling it and for his family. You couldn’t wish to meet a nicer person.”

It has emerged that pilot Andy Hill was due to fly the doomed Hawker Hunter jet at the Battle of Britain 75th anniversary show in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, next month.

A spokeswoman for the Imperial War Museum (IWM) said the event – which is close to the M11 – would still take place on September 19 and 20 but it would be “revised” following the tragedy. She declined to comment on whether the revised airshow would include a ban on pilots performing certain stunts after the jet crashed when it failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop.

Acrobatic air displays should not be banned in the wake of the Shoreham plane crash because UK aviation is the safest in the world, Dr Stephen Wright, an aviation lecturer at the University of Leeds, has said. As a series of airshows around the country confirm they are going ahead with their events as planned over the next few weeks, Wright told the Press Association:

Leave these decisions to our regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). They are the body that works on our behalf. Their job is to manage the risk.

They are incredibly safety-conscious. The CAA is one of the reasons why the UK aviation community is, I believe, the safest in the world.

We have a fantastic regulator. They have a motto ‘safety is not an accident’ and if you don’t meet their standards or subscribe to their thoughts you don’t operate.

Wright added that the risks at airshows were “carefully considered” to make them as low as reasonably practical.

This was a terrible accident but what we haven’t had is the aircraft itself going into the crowd. The people that organise it ensure the people watching are as safe as can be.

I come from that part of the world and most of the area isn’t residential, it’s agricultural. The plane hasn’t come down in a built-up area.

Wright’s comments came as Labour MP Grahame Morris said airshows should be “limited to displaying over water”. Fellow Labour MP Graham Stringer, a former chairman of Manchester airport and former member of the Commons transport committee, told the Daily Mirror “there should be a serious look at the regulations with a view to tightening them up”.

But Norman Shanks, visiting professor in aviation security at Coventry University, claimed it would be “impossible” for many events to continue if displays were forced to take place over water. He added that banning acrobatic manoeuvres “would be a draconian measure”.

Former RAF pilot John Turner, chairman of the British Air Display Association, said a “question of balance” had to be considered.

Read further comments from aviation experts in our report.

Sussex police say up to 20 people may have died in the crash. A crane started to lift debris from the crash site at midday. It is feared the clearance will reveal more bodies.

Pilot Andy Hill was “unbelievably experienced” and his preparation for air displays was “second to none”, George Bacon, of the British Air Display Association, told BBC Breakfast. Bacon said he worked with Hill at an event earlier this month and he was “very thorough” in the way he prepared for flights.

He was an unbelievably experienced chap. Very, very thorough and professional in the way he prepares for his displays. All pilots are required to undertake training and mentoring before they undertake display flying. The preparation this particular pilot undertook was second to none. I was involved in another event with him just a week ago and he always would call in, as many of them do, to debrief their last display to try and work out whether there was any better way of doing it.

The former school of two of the victims of the crash, Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, has released a comment about their deaths.

It is with great sadness that we remember former students Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt who died tragically at the weekend in the Shoreham airshow crash. They left Varndean school in 2008 and are fondly remembered by staff as considerate and kind young men. Jacob’s father, Bob Schilt, was a teacher at the school from 1989-2009 and is remembered affectionately by staff who knew him. Our thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of the two young men at this very sad time.

A number of papers are reporting comments from an unknown source suggesting that the Red Arrows had repeatedly refused to take part in the Shoreham airshow because it would be too dangerous. The Ministry of Defence declined to comment, but the Guardian understands that this is because the Red Arrows consist of nine aircraft and would require far more space than the Hunter that was displaying on Saturday.

Guardian reporter Haroon Siddique is at the scene of the disaster, where people are continuing to lay flowers in tribute to the victims.

Police are advising commuters to stay away from the Shoreham area.

People have been laying flowers and tributes to the victims of the Shoreham airshow crash close to where the Hawker Hunter plane came down.

As police said the death toll from Saturday’s tragedy might rise to 20, local people left messages for the dead and their friends and family on a footbridge that has become a makeshift shrine.

Claudia Berman, 47, left a bouquet of flowers in the colours of Worthing United football club, which lost two of its players in the crash.

“My family’s been involved with Worthing United for 15 years so it hits home doubly hard,” she said. “My son plays for Worthing United. He’s not the same age but as a family we’re involved with the club. I brought some blue and white flowers just to say they’re in our thoughts. The death toll keeps rising , it’s just horrendous. I just feel so bad that our lovely little town has been marked by this tragedy. But the residents have come together and it makes the residents proud to be part of this community.

“For me I wanted to hold my kids a little bit closer and tell them I love them. It makes you thankful for what you’ve got and that you’re safe.”

Despite intermittent heavy showers, people made their way to the bridge all morning to leave their own tributes and view the dozens already placed there.

They included sunflowers and roses, many of which people had brought from their own gardens, and there was also a solitary Brighton and Hove Albion football club scarf.

With the majority of the victims still unnamed, most of the messages offered general words of support. “RIP heaven has gained more angels. Sleep in perfect peace xxx,” one read.

Shirley Paver, 62, broke down in tears as she read the tributes. “It’s difficult, it’s something that’s just hit the whole community,” she said. “You see these things happen on the TV and radio, it’s almost like you’re part of it. It’s extremely upsetting. I knew I’d cry, I brought a tissue.” Pointing to the A27, she said: “There’s still people lying there. It could have been any of us locals. Everyone seems to know somebody who was two cars ahead [when the plane crashed].”

After laying tributes the gaze of many shifted towards the A27, where emergency vehicles involved in the recovery operation could be seen from the bridge.

A number of people brought their children to the makeshift memorial. Among them was Emma Watkins, 41, with daughter Harriet. “We had been swimming and could have been on that road ,” she said. “We wanted to show that people are thinking of those who have sadly lost their lives. People are just really shocked, can’t believe something so awful has happened on the road. The airshow is a great event, it’s so sad. There’s a real sense of people saying we feel we should [offer] support and do whatever we can.”

After laying a bouquet of flowers, Katrina Turner, 32, said: “It’s pretty quiet. There’s sadness wherever you go,” she said.

Louise Goldsmith, the leader of West Sussex county council, has said that flags will be flying at half mast today.

A Facebook group set up to raise money for family and friends of the victims has more than 1,000 members.

We have a map of the crash site, where a crane is currently attempting to lift the wreckage of the aircraft.

Among those still missing since the disaster is Mark Trussler, who was riding his motorbike on the A27 at the time. His fiancee, Giovanna Chirico, says she has not heard from him since and friends claim his motorbike was found at the scene.

She shared a picture of Mark on Facebook and said: “Mark Trussler missing was riding an all black motorbike … if anyone has any details please contact Giovanna Chirico… he was at Shoreham Airport today… hoping he just doesn’t have mobile signal, love u babe.”

Pictures and videos from the scene are coming in on Twitter. Recovery of the plane is expected to be completed by today and its sections then sent to Farnborough in Hampshire to be examined by AAIB investigators.

Members of Worthing United, where two of the victims of the Shoreham air disaster were players, have described hearing about the crash in a video.

The fate of a group of bystanders caught on camera at the scene of the crash is unknown.

The deputy chairman of the British Air Display authority said the loop-the-loop was one of the simplest manoeuvres that could be performed. Major George Bacon said:

A loop is the simplest manoeuvre, pretty much. A lot of aircraft are designed to do it, and something like a Hawker Hunter, very, very comfortably indeed.

The air force flew them for years. They looped dozens of them in formation, were loved by the pilots who flew them and were one of Britain’s great export aircraft as well.

He added that it had been a long time since such a “tragic event had occurred” where “spectators anywhere near an airshow” were killed – citing an incident at the Farnborough airshow in 1952 where 29 spectators (plus the two men on board the aircraft) were killed.

I think all those families [at Shoreham] would want us to really seriously look at [the regulations] and they deserve an answer and a response.

Clearly the inquest will no doubt, as it has done with previous accidents in aircraft, recommend to the government a certain series of measures and that will be taken incredibly seriously. How that pans out I don’t know.

This weekend there were a number of airshows going on and of course all are conducted incredibly safely, that’s all I can say. This was an extraordinary and most tragic incident.

As investigators look into safety concerns surrounding airshows, here’s a list of all UK airshow crashes in the past decade.

15 September 2007 Pilot and James Bond stuntman Brian Brown is killed when his Hawker Hurricane fails to pull out of a dive during a mock dogfight at Shoreham airshow, West Sussex.

22 August 2010 A Swift S-1 aerobatic glider slams on to the runway at Shoreham airshow, breaking up the cockpit on impact. The pilot escapes with three cracked vertebrae.

3 July 2011 A Bücker Jungmann, belonging to the Shuttleworth collection of historic aircraft, crashes during practice for that day’s display at the Military Pageant airshow near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The pilot survives.

10 July 2011 A North American P-51 Mustang and a Douglas A-1 Skyraider are involved in a midair collision at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. The Douglas lands safely and the Mustang pilot parachutes to safety as his plane plummets to the ground.

20 August 2011 Pilot Jon Egging dies when his Red Arrows Hawk T1 jet crashes during Bournemouth air festival. An inquest heard that Egging was probably close to unconsciousness before his plane hit the ground.

1 July 2012 Former Gulf war pilot Trevor Roche dies at the Shuttleworth Military Pageant airshow when he loses control of his 1923 de Havilland DH 53 Humming Bird G-EBHX and crashes in a field.

31 July 2014 A Hawker Sea Fury performing the penultimate display at the Culdrose air day in Cornwall crash-lands owing to an engine problem. The aircraft hits the runway before spinning on to grass in front of spectators. The pilot escapes serious injury.

1 August 2015 Kevin Whyman, an RAF-trained jet pilot, is killed at the CarFest motoring event in Cheshire after his Folland Gnat fails to pull up after performing a low-level, close-proximity pass.

22 August 2015 A Hawker Hunter jet crashes into four cars on the A27 after failing to pull out of a loop manoeuvre at the Shoreham airshow. As many as 20 people are feared dead and the pilot remains in a critical condition.

Tributes have been paid to three men confirmed to be among the 11 killed in the crash: Matt Jones, a personal trainer, and Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt.

Goalkeeper Grimstone and midfielder Schilt, both 23, were on their way to a 3pm home game against Loxwood FC when they were caught up in the crash. Grimstone’s parents Sue and Phil and brothers David and Paul said:

The family are in total shock at losing our dearest son Matthew so tragically at 23 years old. He was the kindest person you could ever meet with a great wit. In his 23 years, we can honestly say he never lost his temper.

The pair’s football shirts from last season have been attached to the fence outside Worthing United’s ground as a tribute to them. Team-mates described them as “absolute gents”, with two, Jamie MacKenzie and Brad Stevens, attending a church service for victims of the crash on Sunday. Dean Gilmour said:

RIP Jacob Shilts & Matthew Grimstone – two absolute gents, taken away from us so early in life you will never be forgotten!! Love you boys.

A fellow player, tweeting as markiovelli, added:

Devastated to have lost two team mates and wonderful people. It was a privilege to share a pitch with you. My heart goes out to your families, RIP. I have four medals I am most proud of, wouldn’t have any of them without you. Numb. RIP Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt. No words …

Mark Sanderson, Worthing United’s secretary described “Grimbles” as “a huge talent, quiet and reserved but a brilliant player with a huge potential to go further in the game”. He added:

Jacob was also 23 years of age, small in stature and a tenacious midfielder, also very skilful with an eye for goal.

At this point we don’t know how or if we will cope with this. Worthing United is a family, part of the football family. We have been moved by the number of tributes to them that we have received from our fellow clubs and from the public.

Matt Jones’ death in the crash was announced online by his sister Becky Jones. She wrote on Facebook: “Thank you to everyone who has messaged me. We are devastated to say Matt Jones was one of the fatalities.” About half-a-dozen bouquets of flowers were left in tribute to Jones in the front garden of his family home. A neighbour said:

We have known him for a long time, he was a really nice guy. He had a good job, training to be a fitness trainer. We have spoken to the family, we offered our sympathies. He was a really nice bloke and will be missed.

The Press Association’s Tom Pugh reports that a crane has arrived at the scene of the crash to recover the plane.