Shoreham-by-Sea, England – 22nd August 2015 – The Hawker Hunter T7 crashed during a display at the Shoreham Airshow. The vintage jet aircraft failed to complete an inside loop aerobatic manoeuvre due to a pilot error : the pilot failed to recognise that the aircraft was too low to perform the loop. The plane crashed in a fireball on the A27 trunk road, smashing into vehicles and pedestrians. 11 people on the ground were killed, and 16 others were injured. 8 vehicles were destroyed in the crash. The pilot survived the crash but was seriously injured.
Investigation report has concluded that the aircraft did not achieve sufficient height at the apex of the accident manoeuvre to complete it before impacting the ground, because the combination of low entry speed and low engine thrust in the upward half of the manoeuvre was insufficient. The pilot failed to carry out an escape manoeuvre.