A pilot blamed for the deaths of 11 men at the Shoreham Airshow disaster will never fly again after the High Court rejected his appeal to try and regain his licence.
Andy Hill survived the devastating crash in 2015 and had been trying to get his licence back ever since.
Now his desperate attempt to regain his licence through a final legal challenge has been refused at the High Court.
A coroner blamed him for the crash which killed 11 men at an inquest in 2022 after an Old Bailey jury cleared him of manslaughter in 2019.
Mr Hill appealed against the Civil Aviation Authority decision not to restore his flying licence.
Their decision not to let him fly again was upheld following a two day hearing last year.
For a second time, the pilot then applied for a Judicial Review of the CAA refusal to let him fly again, challenging the decision at the High Court.
Families of the men who died ten years ago said they can finally have peace as they were told on Friday the application has been turned down.
Pilot Andrew Hill has been been told he will never be able to fly again (pictured at the Old Bailey in 2019)
11 men died in the devastating fireball in the crash at the Shoreham Airshow in 2015
Eleven men died in the crash, (top row left to right) Matthew Grimstone, Matt Jones, Mark Reeves, Tony Brightwell and Mark Trussler. (Bottom row left to right) Dylan Archer, Richard Smith, Graham Mallinson, Maurice Abrahams and Daniele Polito
Caroline and Bob Schilt lost their son Jacob in the disaster.
He was travelling to play football with his best friend Matthew Grimstone when they were both killed.
They felt Mr Hill’s continued efforts to fly again despite the coroner blaming him for the crash felt like a personal vendetta against the families.
Bob and Caroline Schilt said: ‘We are greatly relieved to hear that Andrew Hill has been refused the opportunity to take out a judicial review against the CAA.
‘We attended the hearing in London at which the CAA explained their reasoning for denying Hill his licence.
‘After the coroner’s conclusion found that the eleven men were unlawfully killed due to Hill’s diabolical flying, it seems to us that justice has finally been served by the refusal to renew his licence.
‘It has taken 10 years to finally bring peace to the eleven families whose lives were torn apart by this avoidable tragedy.’
Anthony Mallinson lost his father, retired engineer James Graham Mallinson, in the 2015 disaster.
A vintage fighter jet crashed when it hit a road and burst into a fireball during a failed airshow stunt
The tragic flight will now be the last time Andre Hill ever flies a plane following a High Court ruling
A coroner blamed Mr Hill for the deaths of the 11 men in the crash
‘We are delighted as a family to hear the news that Mr Hill’s latest Judicial Review against the CAA has been refused by the High Court and their decision to revoke all of his flying licences will remain unchanged.
‘This will hopefully now enable us after nearly 10 years to finally be able to grieve for all of our loved ones in peace and we would now ask Mr Hill to fully respect that.’
Matthew Grimstone’s dad Philip said they believed the CAA were clear Hill’s poor flying skills and judgement led to the tragedy.
Phil Grimstone said: ‘Obviously we are relieved and hope that will now be the end of this.
‘We believe that there is nothing to stop Mr Hill applying for a flying licence in another country, given the reasons the CAA gave for rejecting his licences here we hope that he is never allowed.’
Responding to the news that the High Court has refused Mr Hill’s bid to regain his flying licence, Tom Rutland, Member of Parliament for East Worthing and Shoreham, said:
‘This will come as welcome news to the families and friends who lost loved ones on that dreadful day in 2015.
Our community has been outraged by Mr Hill’s campaign to get his licence back and his refusal to take responsibility for the devastating impact of his actions.
Today we finally have confirmation that he will never fly again, and as we approach the tenth anniversary of the crash, I hope the families of the eleven people who lost their lives can take some peace, comfort and closure from that.’
