Disaster continues for families as Shoreham pilot wants licence back

Eleven men died and 13 people were injured on August 22, 2015, when a vintage jet crashed in a deadly fireball onto a busy dual carriageway in the middle of a summer airshow.

Pilot Andrew Hill has now applied to have his licence reinstated nine years after the tragedy.

Caroline and Bob Schilt lost their beloved son Jacob. He was on his way to play football when he was killed.

The 23-year-old had so much potential, his parents said.

Read more: Airshow Disaster pilot 'thinks he remains competent' as he fights for licence back

Mum Caroline said the family lost not only Jacob but everything he would have become.

“The most important thing is we miss him tremendously, but Jacob lost a very promising future and we also miss what he would have become.

“He wanted to marry and have children.

“We would have really enjoyed sharing that with him,” Caroline said.

Caroline and Bob Schilt with a picture of their son Jacob who died in the Shoreham Airshow disaster (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) Bob and Caroline were among the families who attended a two-day hearing last week where Andy Hill launched his appeal against the Civil Aviation Authority's decision to revoke his flying licences.

Andy Hill, 60, was an RAF Harrier pilot and top gun before flying passengers for BA.

“I think it’s outrageous that Hill should be reapplying for his flying licence, but even more outrageous that he is applying for all of his licenses to be returned, private and commercial," Mrs Schilt said.

"I wonder if his intention is to be reemployed by an airline again - which would be unthinkable.

“I would also be very concerned if he was able to do display flying again and I’m sure that would be his intention.

“Having already had a stop call at the Southport airshow and the terrible outcome of the Shoreham Airshow, he shouldn’t be given another chance to fly that badly again.”

Following the Shoreham Airshow Disaster, Andy Hill was charged with 11 counts of manslaughter.

Read more: 'Massive fireball' - bystanders recall horror of Shoreham Airshow disaster at inquest

An Old Bailey jury acquitted him after hearing he had been cognitively impaired during the flight.

Mrs Schilt said: “He’s always stood by his claim that he was cognitively impaired - if that’s he case he should never be able to fly under any circumstances.

“He doesn’t seem to get that.

“Doesn’t he realise how that sounds?”

Following the acquittal, senior coroner Penelope Schofield found all 11 men had been unlawfully killed.

Tony Mallinson lost his father, retired engineer James Graham Mallinson.

The 72-year-old had driven to the airshow to photograph one of the last flights of the Vulcan bomber.

“Dad was there one minute and gone the next,” Tony said.

“I remember saying on the day 'I can’t come down with you'.

“You never think in a million years you’ll never see them again.

“He is very sadly missed by family and friends who had the good fortune to know him.

“We are all still trying to get our lives back on track."

Tony Mallinson with a picture of his father James (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) The 11 families have lived with the consequences of the disaster for more than nine years.

“Hill’s continued not leaving it alone, continuing to keep raking up the situation is upsetting all of us,” Tony said.

“We want to be able to grieve quietly and when there’s a public hearing going on and it’s all about Shoreham again, how can you?

“After making countless errors, he cannot be trusted and has lost total public confidence in his ability to be a safe, competent pilot.

“The justice system needs to be fair to bereaved families like us.”

The disaster in 2015 (Image: Martyn Valentine) At the appeal hearing last week, Andy Hill was asked three times if he accepted his role in the disaster.

“In terms of his remorse, yes we could see from the hearing there was a very slight hint to be fair to him," Mr Mallinson added.

“After this number of years and seeing all of us at the hearing was a complete shock to him.

“His bid to fly again, he really should take all of our feelings into consideration.

“I’d love to ask him myself why would you want to fly again?”

Andy Hill spent more than a week in an induced coma following the disaster.

He regained full consciousness and was discharged from hospital.

Mr Mallinson said life could never be the same without his father who he shared so much with.

“You learn to accept what’s happened and remember the happy times we had as a family with him,” he said.

“Dad was a railway enthusiast, so he and I would make many trips together and all of that has been taken away.

Pilot Andrew Hill “I still go to the railway events we used to go to together because I want to do that for dad.

“I don’t want to shut all that away.”

Mr Mallinson’s dad was a lifetime member of the Bluebell Railway and the family sponsored parts for a restored steam locomotive in his name.

“With all the sadness and upset, we’ve done something that he can always be remembered by.

“To see it running and steaming, dad would have been over the moon.”

Matthew Grimstone, 23, was sitting next to his teammate Jacob Schilt as they travelled to their Worthing United match.

His parents Philip and Sue Grimstone said they believed the CAA were clear it was Hill’s poor flying skills and judgement and not just one error which led to the tragedy.

“To us he does not appear able to accept that he was the one flying the plane and was responsible for killing 11 men," they said.

Sue and Philip Grimstone holding a picture of their son Matthew (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) “We believe - as the Coroner and the CAA have said - Mr Hill was not impaired and it was never proven that he was.

“Either way he should never be allowed to fly again.”

The Grimstones said their lives were forced changed direction after the disaster.

“We now go down a path we did not choose, one without Matthew," they added.

“Every day and every family occasion we are reminded that Matthew is not here.

“We all miss him so much; it is still very raw.

“We remain angry but most of all devastated by our loss."

Shoreham family members still talk about how they will face the future.

For the families, the disaster is still not over.