The fiancee of an avid aircraft enthusiast who was killed in the Shoreham air crash has described him as the love of her life and her soulmate.
Tony Brightwell, 53, who had a private pilot’s licence, cycled to the West Sussex airshow on Saturday to watch the planes and was said by family to be “excited about seeing one of the last flights of the Vulcan bomber”.
Brightwell, a healthcare manager for Sussex Partnership NHS and Brighton and Hove city council, was a regular attender of the show and is the sixth person to be confirmed dead in the disaster, which is believed to have killed 11 people.
His fiancee, Lara Ashby, said: “He was the love of my life, my soulmate and I am devastated that our plans of a life in the sun in a few years’ time won’t now happen.
“He was a kind, loving man who always helped others and just enjoyed spending time with family and friends over a bottle of red wine.
“I watched him cycle off into the sun on his treasured Ridgeback bike to watch the airshow at Shoreham for a couple of hours, but he never came home.”
Brightwell’s family, which includes his daughter Gemma, sister Judy, nephew Adam, and parents Barbara and Ernie, paid their tributes as the sister of another man reported missing after the air crash spoke of the pain she and her family have suffered.
Daniele Polito, of Worthing, was reported missing by family members who revealed he had been travelling home from work with Matt Jones, who was one of the first confirmed to have died in the crash.
Appearing to confirm his death, Polito’s sister Marina gave thanks for support shown to her family “over the last few painful days” in a Facebook post.
“I know many people loved him and will miss him loads, but as long as we keep him in our hearts and memories, he will never really leave us,” she wrote. “I miss you loads already little (big) bro! Keep making people smile, love you always.”
Andrew Hill, 51, a former RAF instructor and British Airways captain, was flying a 1950s Hawker Hunter when it failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre and plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex before bursting into a ball of flames.
He remains in a critical but stable condition in an unnamed specialist hospital after initial treatment at the Royal Sussex hospital in Brighton.
The other victims who have been named are Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, Matt Jones, a 24-year-old personal trainer, Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton, a wedding chauffeur, and Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford, a design technician. Mark Trussler, a motorcyclist from Worthing, is missing.
Police released pictures on Friday from the scene of the crash showing devastation left in the aftermath. Forensic science investigators are seen gathering clues on the debris-strewn dual carriageway, while another picture appears to show parts of the wreckage.
