RAF pilots injured after ejecting from training aircraft
Eleanor Storey, Press Association
Two RAF pilots are being treated for minor injuries after ejecting from their training aircraft which crashed on Anglesey.
Emergency services were called to the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey, near the RAF Valley station, on Wednesday.
The pilots, who had been flying a Hawk T2 aircraft out of the station, are being treated for minor injuries.
A spokesman for North Wales Police said: “Local officers are currently in attendance to 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.
“Please avoid the area until further notice.”
A Royal Air Force spokesperson said: “An incident involving an RAF T2 Hawk aircraft, flying out of RAF Valley, occurred near Anglesey.
“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.
He 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.”
RAF Valley, where the Prince of Wales served for three years as a search and rescue pilot, is home to No 4 Flying Training School, which trains pilots to fly fast jets.
The Hawk T2 is described by the RAF as a “high-performance, two-seat training jet” designed to “simulate front-line combat aircraft like the Typhoon”.
It is used in training to prepare pilots for complex tactical environments.
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