Following a detailed review of the G-forces, the AAIB has decided not to re-open its investigation into the accident near Shoreham Airport on 22 August 2015.
In March 2017, the AAIB published its investigation report into an accident involving a Hawker Hunter aircraft near Shoreham Airport. Our investigation was wide-ranging, looking at everything from the maintenance of the aircraft and the pilot's training to how the public was protected through risk management and the governance of air displays. We made 32 safety recommendations as a result of our investigation, all of which were accepted. Action to address our safety recommendations is already being taken by the relevant authorities.
In June, the AAIB was presented with further material regarding the potential effects of G-forces on the pilot. We have considered the material very carefully with a dedicated team of inspectors with extensive expertise in aircraft performance, human factors, fast jet operations and display flying. The work has taken some time as we have been using recently developed analytical tools that have enabled us to determine the aircraft's flight path in more detail and hence calculate the G-forces more accurately than was previously possible. We have also undertaken an independent review of the Human Factors analysis presented to us and consulted subject matter experts on aeromedical aspects.
The results confirm that the findings of the AAIB safety investigation published in 2017 remain valid and we will not be reopening the investigation. However, we will publish a supplement to our Final Report with full details of the review conducted which we hope all parties will find informative. This will take some time to complete but we will publish the supplement as soon as possible.
We appreciate that this is a difficult time for all those affected by the tragic accident in August 2015. We are keeping the Coroner and the families of those who died in the accident updated on our work.
