Harrier jump jet crashes
Thu, December 05, 2002
Source: Ananova
A Royal Navy pilot died after his Harrier jump jet crashed on take-off.
The unnamed pilot and another man ejected from the plane as it plummeted back on to the end of the runway at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.
Harrier jump jet crashes killing pilot
A Royal Navy pilot died after his Harrier jump jet crashed on take-off. The unnamed pilot and another man ejected from the plane as it plummeted back on to the end of the runway at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire. The other man suffered minor injuries and has been taken for medical checks in Nottingham.
The men in today's crash - both trained Navy pilots and one an instructor - were in a Royal Navy training Sea Harrier T8 and were attempting a normal take-off, not the Harrier's trademark vertical take-off. But seconds later they were forced to abandon the plane. It was not yet known what forced them to eject, shortly before 9.40am.
The men were both from the Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton, Somerset, and were on attachment to Wittering, dubbed "the home of the Harriers". An inquiry will be carried out into the crash.
Squadron Leader Tony Walsh said: "It was taking off to go on a training mission when it crashed. "Both pilots ejected. One of the pilots was injured, not seriously, and has been taken to hospital. Unfortunately the other pilot suffered fatal injuries. The crash happened on the air base's "short take-off and landing strip', Mr Walsh said. The aircraft was one of four Sea Harriers which had been at the base for about three weeks. The Sea Harriers are being phased out over the next four years as part of the Government's defence review.
Navy pilots are carrying out training operations in Cambridgeshire because of a lack of availability of runway strips and poor weather conditions at their permanent bases.
One man was being trained to use the T8 Sea Harrier and had already been trained on other aircraft. The T8s have special two-men cockpits which allow a pilot and pupil to fly in tandem.
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