‘Dad, your face and ears are gone’: Court hears harrowing accounts of Shoreham air crash ‘fireball’ survivors

Eleven people were killed when a 1950s Hawker Hunter fighter jet plummeted on to the A27 in West Sussex

The crash caused a huge explosion and a fireball (PA)

Survivors of the Shoreham air crash have given their harrowing accounts of being engulfed in a “fireball” after a plane crashed onto a dual carriageway in West Sussex.

Eleven people were killed when Andrew Hill’s 1950s Hawker Hunter fighter jet plummeted on to the A27 while it was performing a loop-the-loop stunt on 22 August 2015 at an air show.

During Mr Hill’s manslaughter trial at the Old Bailey the jury heard of people jumping out of burning cars, running for their lives and one man being thrown across a child’s buggy.

Software engineer Thomas Milburn, from Worthing, had cycled to Shoreham, where he found a spot to take pictures.

In a split second, he realised the Hunter was going to crash.

“I thought it was going to hit me. From my sitting position I immediately lay down, put my head in my hands and closed my eyes,” he said.

“I heard an explosion. I felt a wave of pressure coming towards me. Through my eyelids I saw a bright orange light. I felt extreme heat through my skin.

“I really thought I was going to die. I thought I would be consumed by burning fuel. I realised I had been engulfed or partially engulfed by a fireball. Everything around me was silent.

“A few seconds after that I was able to get to my feet and I stood up. I realised I was in shock.

“I remember thinking: ‘Don’t look around.’ Immediately before the crash I saw a lot of people sitting on the ground. I was sure all those people were in the direct line of the plane and must have been killed.

“I just kept running down the road towards the airfield. As I was running I realised the skin on my hands and arms felt loose,” he added.

Mr Milburn suffered burns to his arms, legs and back, the court heard.

Paul Snellgrove was watching the show with his family, including his granddaughter when he noticed the Hunter was going slowly and flying low.

As the plane came down on the dual carriageway, Mr Snellgrove heard a “crunch”, the court was told.

He described being thrown over the buggy and his daughter.

“I started to feel a burning sensation down my face,” he said. “I was in absolute agony.

“My daughter said: ‘Dad, your face and ears are gone.’ I shouted: ‘Run.’

“Everyone that I had seen before the crash had gone. I don’t know what happened to them.”

Mr Snellgrove was “on the point of passing out” but was told to stay awake before he was treated at the scene.

“I was in a real state and people asked me what happened. I just wanted to be reunited with my family,” he said.

“I felt I was lucky to be alive. Very weary, a sense of disbelief about what happened. It seemed like a dream.”

Retired Peter Reed leapt from his burning car while it was still moving to escape the carnage.

He said he began to panic when he heard a “massive bang”.

“I had the strong impression that my vehicle was on fire and it was going to explode,” he said.

“I decided I needed to get out of my still-moving vehicle. I leapt out of my car. I saw my car continuing along the road, finally coming to a stop.

“I felt my arms were hot where I had been burnt but otherwise I felt unscathed.”

He said there was thick black smoke and cars burning.

He heard someone saying: “Where’s the pilot?” and realised it was a plane crash.

“At the time my vehicle was engulfed in flames I was absolutely terrified.”

Since the crash, Mr Reed said he had suffered flashbacks and had difficulty sleeping.

Mr Hill, 54, of Sandon, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, denies 11 charges of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The case continues.

Additional reporting from agencies