Tom Cotterill, Tom Jeffreys and Gareth Corfield
Two trainee British pilots were forced to eject from the Hawk T2 aircraft when it encountered a problem shortly after taking off from RAF Valley on the Welsh island of Anglesey on Wednesday morning.
Footage of the incident shared online showed the moment the pilots ejected before the jet crashed into the ground and exploded.
Emergency services went to the scene, with an air ambulance reportedly landing nearby. North Wales Police said the pilots were being treated for minor injuries after parachuting to safety.
North Wales Police confirmed the jet crashed into a field just off the A4080 motorway, north-east of Aberffraw Football Club. The cause is still under investigation. However, multiple defence sources claimed video footage from the moments before the pilots ejected indicated a potential problem with the jet’s controls.
“The several pitch-ups prior to the ejection is very unusual behaviour for the aircraft at that stage of flight. There is definitely something not normal,” one said.
The RAF said it had suspended high-speed Hawk fighter jet training as a “precautionary measure”. It said: “Both pilots are receiving medical treatment. Their families are being supported.
“The RAF has decided to temporarily pause Hawk T1 and T2 operations, as a precautionary measure, whilst investigations are ongoing.”
Richard Owen, owner of Afallon Caravan Park near Rhosneigr, Anglesey, said flaming debris fell just yards from holiday caravans and a family home.
The 88-year-old said he was in the kitchen when he heard the explosion.
“It landed just on the other side of the park,” Owen told the Daily Mail. “I went out to take a look. There were little bits of wreckage all around the site.
“The tail section must have blown off and landed next to one of the caravans. There was lots of smoke, thick black smoke. I didn’t dare to go too close. I was worried about it exploding.”
A witness told North Wales Live he watched the aircraft take off: “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.”
In the video clip, the Hawk is seen banking upwards twice, then wobbling slightly before the pilots eject from the aircraft. A loud bang is then heard, believed to be from the rockets used to safely blast the pilots away from the stricken aircraft as it nosedives.
The T2 jet crashes into an empty patch of scrubland close to houses before exploding in a ball of flames, with black smoke billowing as the inferno engulfs the wreckage. A separate clip online appears to show two pilots floating back down to the ground on parachutes.
The Ministry of Defence is working with the emergency services at the crash scene.
An RAF spokesman said: “An incident involving an RAF T2 Hawk aircraft, flying out of RAF Valley, occurred near Anglesey. An investigation is under way.”
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “My thoughts are first and foremost with the pilots. We will provide further updates in due course.”
North Wales Fire and Rescue service said the fire was under control. “North Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews and officers attended at an incident involving an aircraft in the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey, working alongside colleagues from Royal Air Force, North Wales Police, Welsh Ambulance Service and Wales Air Ambulance.
“The fire is now under control. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while emergency services continue their work safely.”
The Hawk T2, built by BAE Systems, is a two-seater training jet “equipped with advanced avionics and synthetic radar to simulate front-line combat aircraft like the Typhoon”.
The RAF uses it primarily for advanced jet training and preparing pilots for complex tactical environments.
The crash is the latest in a series of problems to blight the Hawk jets. In 2022, engines in the fleet of training aircraft were pulled from service after concerns about the risk of in-flight failures. Alec Shelbrooke, a former defence procurement minister, blamed problems with French-made components in the engines.
In January 2023, the 28-aircraft fleet was grounded as a precaution after a blade failed during an incident on the runway at RAF Valley. Flying resumed after a pause, but many engines were removed from service while the problem was investigated.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the head of the UK Armed Forces, said in late 2024 that he wanted to replace the Hawk T2 because of the engine and support problems.
The crash comes three months after three members of the Royal Navy died when a helicopter went down during a training exercise in Devon, England. Lieutenant Lily-Mae Fisher, Britain’s only female Royal Navy commando, died alongside Lieutenant Commander Chris Gayson and Petty Officer Owen Green when their Merlin Mk4 crashed in a field near Sourton Down in the early hours of June 4.
The Telegraph, London
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