RAF Hawk jet plunges to ground in fireball after horror oversight

An RAF jet plunged to the ground in a horror crash after the fuel cap was reportedly left off, an investigation has found. The Hawk T2, worth £20 million, burst into flames after crashing in September. The two pilots steered away from buildings before ejecting from the plane which exploded near RAF Valley in North Wales.

It is now understood that the fuel cap was missing, with blame put on the ground crew. A source has revealed the missing cap forms a “­significant part of the investigation” into the crash. As reported by The Sun, the source said: “It’s a pretty poor indicator of standards.”

The jet crashed shortly after taking off from the base on Anglesey on September 23. It took off before catching fire and climbing unevenly, forcing the occupants, an experienced pilot and a trainee, to pull their ejection handles.

Both sucessfully parachuted to safety and survived with only minor injuries. Meanwhile, the jet nosedived and exploded into a massive fireball, crashing into farmland near Pencarnisiog and the Afallon Caravan Park, in Llanfaelog.

Investigators have now discovered that the jet’s fuel cap had been left off before takeoff, which caused it to catch fire as it departed. The jet was carrying out a test flight following a previous incident on September 11.

While it is unclear whether the cap’s absence was the main cause of the crash, the RAF confirmed it was being investigated, explaining: “It would be inappropriate to comment further while this is ongoing.” Meanwhile, some sources said they suspected a “major engine failure” was to blame.

One source said: “One of the first things the crash investigators established was a fuel cap was missing. There are valves built into jet fuel inlets to stop fuel spilling outwards. But it’s a pretty poor indicator of standards and could speak of wider problems.”

Another added: “Safety is everything in aviation. This plane should never have taken off without its fuel cap. You have to pray it’s a one-off. But if a fuel cap can be left off, what else can be?”

Footage from the crash shows the Hawk 2 heading upwards and downwards after takeoff. The pilots steered it away from most buildings before ejecting to safety.

The plane remained in the air for 20 seconds before crashing into farmland. Witnesses watched on in horror as it burst into flames near homes and caravans in the area.

Group Captain Gez Currie, station commander at RAF Anglesey, said the pilots steered the aircraft “away from built-up areas” before ejecting. He added: “The aircraft would have been aimed in a direction that the pilot believed was open field, in order to avoid built-up areas and anybody on the ground.”

The RAF now has a fleet of 26 Hawk 2 jets following the crash. It made the decision to ground the entire fleet following the crash, before resuming flying on October 8.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton previously criticised the jets in 2003. He said: “We don’t get what we need from Hawk today,” before continuing: “We have problems with engines and support.

“Frankly, I would like to replace Hawk T2 as soon as we can to deliver a more relevant, more reliable training capacity, so I don’t have to send pilots overseas.”