Red Arrows crash
Author
Discussion

Hosenbugler

Original Poster:

1,856 posts

131 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
Apparently a Red Arrows Hawk jet has crashed in Wales.

Thankfully, it appears the pilot ejected, but nothing yet on his condition.

ETA Some reports saying there were 2 in the aircraft at the time. Oh dear, no mention regarding 2 people ejecting.

Edited by Hosenbugler on Tuesday 20th March 14:53

KTF

10,622 posts

179 months

yellowjack

18,403 posts

195 months

Sixpackpert

5,297 posts

243 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
So is it an actual Red Arrow? Or is it a hawk, which the Red Arrows fly, and the BBC are being lazy again?

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
Some reports just say "Hawk" and others say "Red Arrow".

All we can say at the moment is that it is almost definitely going to be a Hawk.

I would have thought that the Arrows would have been in Cyprus training at this time of year.

chris4652009

1,572 posts

113 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
Hosenbugler said:
Apparently a Red Arrows Hawk jet has crashed in Wales.

Thankfully, it appears the pilot ejected, but nothing yet on his condition.

ETA Some reports saying there were 2 in the aircraft at the time. Oh dear, no mention regarding 2 people ejecting.

Edited by Hosenbugler on Tuesday 20th March 14:53
it's a HAwk jet...nothing to do with the red arrows

yellowjack

18,403 posts

195 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
So it's sounding like it's NOT an actual RAFAT aircraft after all?

A black painted T Mk2 from No4 FTS maybe?

I think the press reporting it will jump on the "aircraft used by the Red Arrows" angle because the public in general will then know what has crashed. The majority of ordinary folks probably couldn't ID a "HAWK" if you asked them.

Whatever it is that has gone down, we can only hope that, whether it was a one or two man crew, they got out OK.

No doubt it'll be on the main bulletins on TV later, hopefully having got the proper information from MOD sources before going to air. In this instant news age it must be awful for families of aircrew when a type that they could be flying gets reported as crashed without any real understanding of the fallout and worry this sort of instant speculation causes.

I've got to say I clicked on this thread thinking it was an update on one of the previous Arrows crash threads.


From their own website...

RAF Red Arrows website said:
Typically, winter training starts in October, with small groups of three or four aircraft formations.

Each pilot flies three sorties a day, five days a week, and the formations grow in aircraft number as training progresses.

These flights involve a thorough brief, debrief and discussion to ensure safety is paramount and the formations are precise.

One complete cycle consisting of these elements lasts about two hours, usually with a 30-minute flight.

Winter training lasts until mid-March, when the team usually moves overseas to a location with more predictable, settled weather to maximise flying hours and perfect the display. This is known as Exercise Springhawk.

During Springhawk the team is assessed by senior Royal Air Force officers, with the aim of *giving the brass a chance to get in a paid holiday and a bit of a jolly in Cyprus after a drab British winter.
(* my itallics, obviously...)

It's mid-March now, so are the Reds even still in the country?

WestyCarl

4,057 posts

154 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
yellowjack]small said:
(* my itallics, obviously...)[/small]

It's mid-March now, so are the Reds even still in the country?
No, they are likely in Cyprus until April

mike74

3,687 posts

161 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
There was a red having a stooge around Anglesey earlier today, I saw the smoke from the crash, can't say if it was a red though.

Gary29

5,191 posts

128 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
My money is on it being a black Hawk.

Russ35

2,702 posts

268 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
They appear to still be in the UK as tonight there is a Red Arrows v BBMF charity football match at Lincoln FC.

Also according the Reds twitter account they did their first full 2018 display practice yesterday at RAF Scampton.

Their comment on twitter about the accident is

'We are aware of an incident today at RAF Valley involving a Hawk aircraft. We are investigating the incident.'


Edited by Russ35 on Tuesday 20th March 15:48

Cold

16,637 posts

119 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
Gary29 said:
My money is on it being a black Hawk.

Cold

16,637 posts

119 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
Red 3 apparently. Unconfirmed at the moment.

scenario8

7,888 posts

208 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
In fairness to the media there are original sources claiming a Red Arrow was involved and various MOD outlets are saying almost nothing to verify, deny or correct so I can understand their reporting.

Not that the colour or the nature of the aircraft particularly concerns me. I just hope everyone involved is ok and recovers fully. Fingers crossed and all that.

Wobbegong

15,078 posts

198 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
I’d heard talk of Red 3 too plus a injuries to a couple of people on the ground. Probably photographers who dropped their massive lenses and ended up with whiplash.

CrutyRammers

13,735 posts

227 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
frown

yellowjack

18,403 posts

195 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
at 14:44 hrs Sarah Hodgson of the Liverpool Echo said:
Red Arrow believed to be involved

It is understood that it is a Red Arrow that has crashed however this has not yet been confirmed by the MOD or emergency services.
Again, we can only hope that the ejection seats were operated and the crew are safe.

RAF are asking anyone who witnessed it to get in touch, but requesting that images and video are NOT shared online.

Then the Echo website publishes video from the scene. Eyewitnesses saying the plane was in obvious difficulty.

local aviation enthusiast Wyn Evans said:
...the aircraft was taking off and then got into difficulty.

It continued banking right towards the railway line and back again towards the airfield. It then approached the runway and I saw two eject from the aircraft and then it crashed on the airfield...


Two ejections reported. Fingers crossed that it's an accurate report and that both crew came down OK.

red_slr

20,641 posts

218 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
XX320 Now turns out to be BS. Thanks PPRUNE.

Edited by red_slr on Tuesday 20th March 16:17

FourWheelDrift

92,232 posts

313 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
red_slr said:
XX320
That crashed and was written off in 2008, it's nose is all that remains in a museum.

red_slr

20,641 posts

218 months

Tuesday 20th March 2018
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
That crashed and was written off in 2008, it's nose is all that remains in a museum.
Saw that thanks jokers on PPRUNE....