Shoreham air crash pilot was "in good spirits" before disaster

The pilot of the Hawker Hunter jet which crashed at the Shoreham Airshow - killing 11 people on the ground - was 'in good spirits' before the flight.

The initial report into the accident, on the A27 in Sussex, has been released by the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), based in Farnborough.

It said Andy Hill had carried out a pre-flight check and signed the log to say the plane was safe to fly. There were no reported defects.

He requested the plane be re-fuelled to its maximum capacity and, says the report, he had been in good spirits and was looking forward to the flight.

The AAIB says it is analysing audio recordings between air traffic control and the pilot as well as video footage taken before and during the crash.

Cockpit cameras reveal no 'abnormal indications' and was responding to the pilot's control inputs when the crash happened.

The plane broke into four main pieces. the pilot and his seat were thrown clear of the plane.

Wreckage from the crash has been sent to the AAIB's headquarters in Farnborough, Hampshire.

The victims have been named as retired engineer James Graham Mallinson, 72, from Newick, near Lewes; window cleaner and general builder Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing; cycling friends Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton, and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove; NHS manager Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove; grandfather Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford; Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23; personal trainer Matt Jones, 24; wedding chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76; and Daniele Polito, 23, from Worthing.