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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Doug Bolton

Shoreham plane crash: Pilot Andy Hill in critical condition after being pulled from wreckage still alive

Pilot Andy Hill is currently in a critical condition in hospital (Swords Aviation)

The pilot of the fighter jet which crashed into a busy dual carriageway at the Shoreham Airshow is fighting for his life in hospital.

Andy Hill, a former RAF pilot and British Airway captain, was flying the Hawker Hunter jet when it crashed into the road.

At least seven people were killed in the incident, but police warn that the death toll may rise as their investigations continue.

Video footage of the crash shows a huge fireball and thick black smoke erupting after the plane collides with the road, but somehow, Mr Hill survived.

Police did not say whether he had ejected from the plane, but witness reports say that he was pulled from the burning wreckage.

Mr Hill joined the RAF in 1985 after leaving university, gaining his wings two years later.

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Later in his career, he returned to train RAF pilots at a training centre in North Yorkshire.

After he left the RAF, he became a civilian pilot, flying Airbus and Boeing aeroplanes and eventually becoming an Airbus captain.

David Wildridge, who had flown with the Tiger Nine display team earlier in the day at the airshow, told the Telegraph that as a former Harrier jet pilot, Mr Hill was the "best of the best."

Shoreham plane crash - In pictures  

He is currently in a critical condition in hospital.

Three victims of the crash have been named - Matt Jones, a 24-year-old personal trainer, and Worthing United FC footballers Jacob Schilt and Matthew Grimstone, were all killed in the accident.

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