Two pilots eject and parachute out of RAF plane before crash

Key Takeaways

• Two pilots eject and parachute out of RAF plane before crashFigure caption, North Wales Police says the pilots of the aircraft are being treated for m
• North Wales Police said the pilots of the RAF T2 Hawk aircraft were being treated for minor injuries following the incident in the Pencarnisiog area o
• The force said helicopters from the Coastguard and the Wales Air Ambulance were sent to the scene close to RAF Valley on the island
• The pilots have been taken to Birmingham for treatment
• The Ministry of Defence has been asked to comment

Two pilots eject and parachute out of RAF plane before crash

North Wales Police says the pilots of the aircraft are being treated for minor injuries

ByRowenna Hoskin

BBC Wales

Updated Just now

Two RAF pilots ejected and parachuted out of their plane before the training aircraft crashed.

North Wales Police said the pilots of the RAF T2 Hawk aircraft were being treated for minor injuries following the incident in the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey.

The force said helicopters from the Coastguard and the Wales Air Ambulance were sent to the scene close to RAF Valley on the island. The pilots have been taken to Birmingham for treatment.

The Ministry of Defence has been asked to comment.

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Image caption,

The incident involved an RAF T2 Hawk aircraft flying out of RAF Valley

Slide 1 of 3, Wreckage of RAF T2 on the ground, two emergency response officers spray the wreckage with water. , The incident involved an RAF T2 Hawk aircraft flying out of RAF Valley

"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," North Wales Police said.

"Please avoid the area until further notice."

The two air ambulances which were at the scene of the Hawk T2 crash in Llanfaelog have both landed at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, home of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM).

The Royal Air Force said: "An incident involving an RAF T2 Hawk aircraft, flying out of RAF Valley.

"An investigation is under way and we will not comment further at this time."

One eyewitness told North Wales Live he had watched the aircraft take off before the crash.

Pete Bennett said: "I knew straight away that it was in trouble – right on take-off there was an orange flame and as it accelerated it was basically on fire.

"As it gained altitude the flame disappeared but it was clearly in trouble.

"It climbed at an aggressive pitch… It pitched twice violently in the air and then there were two clear loud bangs.

"The pilots ejected and both parachutes opened." The RAF plane crash happened near Pencarnisiog

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting posted on X: "An investigation is under way.

"My thoughts are first and foremost with the pilots. We will provide further updates in due course."

Leader of Reform UK Wales Helen Jenner said: "I grew up in Bodorgan, just along the coast from Valley.

"RAF Valley is part of the fabric of Anglesey.

"It has trained generations of fast-jet pilots, and our island is proud to be home to the men and women who serve there."

The Senedd member for Bangor Conwy Môn said the incident has left her "deeply concerned" and her thoughts were with the crew, their families and everyone at the base.

What is RAF Valley?

Fighter pilots are trained at RAF Valley and it is also a base for maritime and search and rescue operations.

The MOD describes its No 4 Flying Training School as responsible for training the "next generation of world-class fighter pilots, external".

It opened in February 1941 and became a staging post for US aircraft to help the war effort from 1943.

The Prince of Wales was an RAF search and rescue pilot at the Holyhead base from 2010 to 2013 and lived on Anglesey with the Princess of Wales as newlyweds.

He returned to the base in April to mark it 85th anniversary.

Separately, a publicly-funded airport operated between Anglesey and Cardiff between 2007 and 2020.

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North Wales Police says the pilots of the RAF T2 Hawk aircraft are being treated for minor injuries.

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