James Bond stuntman pilot died during roll at air show

A stunt pilot who worked on the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies was killed at an air show after trying to copy a barrel roll that another plane had completed, an inquest heard yesterday - reports The Telegraph.

Brian Brown, 49, may have carried out the move “on impulse”, which caused his World War II Hurricane to crash into a fireball during the air show in September 2007, the inquest heard.

The inquest in Worthing, West Sussex, was shown dramatic video of the crash, after the pilots had performed a Battle of Britain scenario at the Shoreham Air Show, West Sussex.

Mr Brown spent six weeks in France filming the opening sequence of 1998 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in which he flew a fast jet.

He also flew a World War One plane in the 2006 film Flyboys and had flown a Hurricane in TV show Heartbeat.

On the day of the accident, Mr Brown, who had more than 186 hours flying experience, had been flying a Hurricane Mkx11 G-Hurr and was tailgating another Hurricane when he attempted the stunt, the inquest heard.

Lead Hurricane pilot Fight Lieutenant David Harvey had just completed a move called a Derry Turn, and was higher in the sky than Mr Brown.

Mr Brown, of Barnby-Dun, Doncaster, had not piloted a Hurricane for a year before he was asked to be a last minute replacement at air shows in Jersey and Shoreham, the court heard.

The inquest heard that Mr Brown, an airfield manager, had earlier agreed not to perform any aerobatics in the displays.

Both pilots had specifically refused to do a move called a barrel roll which they were asked to do in their brief because of its difficulty.

But while performing the four minute celebration sequence, he tail chased another Hurricane after successfully enacting a battle scenario with other planes.

Paul Hannant, senior inspector of air accident operations for the Air Accident Iinvestigation Branch, told the court that the last minute manoeuvre was probably done by instinct.

Martin Milward, Deputy Coroner for West Sussex, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Despite the court hearing the show’s organisation had been poor and the scenario’s changing just two hours before the accident, the coroner dismissed them as factors in the death.

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