£16m RAF Hawk jet crashes after takeoff from RAF Valley as both pilots eject safely
An RAF Hawk T2 training jet crashed near RAF Valley in Anglesey this afternoon after both pilots ejected; police say the pair are being treated for what are thought to be minor injuries.
A £16 million RAF Hawk T2 training jet has crashed after taking off from RAF Valley airbase in Anglesey, Wales, this afternoon.
Both crew members reportedly ejected safely from the jet before it came down.
North Wales Police said officers are attending “reports of an incident involving an RAF training aircraft in the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey, alongside colleagues from the Royal Air Force, North Wales Fire and Rescue Services, Welsh Ambulance Service University Health Trust and Helimed”.
“Two pilots are being treated for what are thought to be minor injuries and at this stage there are no reports of any wider damage or injuries,” the force said, asking the public to avoid the area.
An air ambulance was scrambled to the scene, and fire crews and a coastguard helicopter were also dispatched, according to North Wales Live.
An eyewitness told the publication they watched the jet take off from the shore: “I could see flames as it took off. We watched it climb then … it started to pitch up violently twice. Then both pilots ejected and the Hawk crashed about a mile away.”
The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.
RAF Valley is the centre of advanced fast-jet training for the Royal Air Force, and Hawk T2 aircraft are operated from the Anglesey base to train fighter pilots.
Sources
- The Sun: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/40465804/raf-jet-crashes-uk-airbase-air-ambulance-attends/
- North Wales Police statement (as quoted via The Sun)
- The Telegraph (separately reported pilots ejected from the RAF Hawk after crashing during takeoff)
- North Wales Live (emergency response details, via The Sun)
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