Military jet in airshow dives into main road, killing seven

An airshow ended in catastrophe on Saturday when a plane crashed into a major road in West Sussex.

The road is likely to remain closed for at least the rest of the weekend while a police and AAIB investigation is carried out.

All seven victims on the ground died at the scene after the 1950s-era Hawker Hunter fighter jet crashed into busy traffic on the A27 in West Sussex.

The jet that crashed took part in three separate air shows in Ireland last month. The plane exploded into a massive fireball and the pilot ejected, the Royal Air Force Association said.

According to one spectator interviewed by the BBC, “the pilot had just begun his display when he crashed”.

Witness said the plane was attempting a loop manoeuvre but failed to pull out.

All of those killed were on the busy A27 highway, which runs next to the Shoreham airport in Sussex, Police Superintendent Jane Derrick said. A further 14 were lightly wounded and were treated on the road.

“The emergency services are responding”, said Shoreham Airshow on its Twitter account. “There was a ball of fire, we didn’t even hear an impact, and then plumes of black smoke”.

Tomorrow’s air show has been cancelled, organisers said.

“He had gone up into a loop and as he was coming out of the loop I just thought, you are too low, you are too low, pull up”.

Lucy Pearce, head of content at the Brighton Argus, was at the air show.

Visitors to the show were kept at the airfield until about 7pm before being directed away from the site.

Shoreham Airshow 2015. Crash.

Tim Loughton, the MP representing Shoreham, is among the supporters insisting the show has a good safety record. “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but we hope the public will understand our decision”.

Crashes at British airshows are rare, but in 2007 the pilot of a World War II Hurricane died at the Shoreham Airshow after performing a barrel-roll. “Our Services are working very hard doing all they can to help and support the Police and will continue to do so”.