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Two RAF Tornado jets crash in Scotland Two RAF Tornado jets crash in Scotland
(about 1 hour later)
Two RAF Tornado ground attack aircraft have crashed in Scotland, the Ministry of Defence said. Two people are missing and two others have been picked up by helicopter from the Moray Firth after a pair of Tornado jets crashed off the north coast of Scotland, the Ministry of Defence said.
The incident, which is thought to have happened early on Tuesday afternoon in the Moray Firth, involved two Tornado GR4s, the combat jet that is being used in Afghanistan and was used extensively during operations over Libya last year. The two rescued were taken to hospital in Inverness but no further details about their condition were given.
The aircraft were being flown from RAF Lossiemouth, the UK's biggest fast-jet base, which is home to three operational squadrons of Tornado GR4s as well as the Tornado GR4 operational conversion unit for upgrading the jets. The incident involved two GR4 Tornado aircraft, combat jets of the same kind which is being used in Afghanistan and was used extensively during operations over Libya last year.
The planes have two crew members each. A search and rescue operation has been launched involving an RAF helicopter, lifeboats and the coastguard. The MoD said it had no more details. The aircraft were being flown from RAF Lossiemouth, the UK's biggest fast-jet base, which is home to three operational squadrons of Tornado GR4s, as well as the Tornado GR4 Operational Conversion Unit — for upgrading the jets.
Reports suggested one aircraft could be seen in the water. The planes have two crew members each. It is understood the two jets were flying together and that they were involved in a practice bombing run shortly before the incident happened.
Crews flying from RAF Lossiemouth regularly undertake low-flying training missions. Two GR4s from the base were involved in separate crashes last year. About 15 lifeboat volunteers joined the rescue operation in three boats after reports that the jets came down about 25 miles south of Wick. Aberdeen coastguard contacted the RNLI at about 1.50pm. Boats were sent from Wick, Invergordon and Buckie towards the Beatrice oil field area, supported by a helicopter from Stornoway in the Western Isles. The crew from the Buckie boat reported that two people were taken from the sea by helicopter.
It is not the first incident recently involving aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth. An official investigation found that RAF Tornado aircraft have been involved in crashes in Scotland in recent years.
In January last year two RAF crew were rescued after their Tornado GR4 jet came down in the sea off the west coast of Scotland.
The crew, from RAF Lossiemouth, ejected from the plane before it landed in the waters at Loch Ewe, near Gairloch, Wester Ross.
RAF Lossiemouth, on the Moray Firth coast, is home to three squadrons of Tornado GR4s.
The Tornado GR4 is a two-seat attack aircraft, capable of delivering a variety of weapons and reaching a maximum altitude of 15,000 metres (50,000ft).
In July 2009 an RAF pilot and navigator were killed when their Tornado jet crashed into a hillside in Argyll.
Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Thompson, 27, and Flight Lieutenant Nigel Morton, 43, died in the crash near the village of Arrochar.
The aircraft was an RAF Leuchars-based Tornado F3 on a routine flight.