Larry-G
20-08-11, 16:39
A Red Arrow aircraft has crashed following a display at an air show, defence sources have said.
The plane plunged to the ground near Bournemouth Airport in Dorset after a demonstration at the town's Air Festival.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We can confirm that we are aware of an incident involving one of the Red Arrows and we are investigating."
A member of staff at the West Beach restaurant on the seafront said she watched the Red Arrows complete their display without any problems. She said the display lasted "about ten minutes".
Since 1979, the Red Arrows have used the dual control BAE Systems Hawk T1 aircraft. According to the aerobatic team's website, the planes' Rolls Royce engines produce 5,200lbs of thrust and give a top speed of Mach 1.2.
They have been based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire since 2001.
Bournemouth resident Shaun Spencer-Perkins said the plane came down in fields, near a river. "I heard a rushing sound and I saw a plane about 15 metres (50 feet) above the ground, racing across the fields," he told the BBC. "It impacted and bounced across the field."
Wayne Kent, 30, the assistant manager of the Broadway Pub, said some of his customers had seen the incident.
He said: "I heard that the plane went down in the fields near Throop and it bounced three or four times. The pilot then steered it towards the river."
Mr Kent said the pilot guided the plane away from houses in the village and from people walking near the riverbank.
Copyright © 2011 The Press Association. All rights reserved.
The plane plunged to the ground near Bournemouth Airport in Dorset after a demonstration at the town's Air Festival.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We can confirm that we are aware of an incident involving one of the Red Arrows and we are investigating."
A member of staff at the West Beach restaurant on the seafront said she watched the Red Arrows complete their display without any problems. She said the display lasted "about ten minutes".
Since 1979, the Red Arrows have used the dual control BAE Systems Hawk T1 aircraft. According to the aerobatic team's website, the planes' Rolls Royce engines produce 5,200lbs of thrust and give a top speed of Mach 1.2.
They have been based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire since 2001.
Bournemouth resident Shaun Spencer-Perkins said the plane came down in fields, near a river. "I heard a rushing sound and I saw a plane about 15 metres (50 feet) above the ground, racing across the fields," he told the BBC. "It impacted and bounced across the field."
Wayne Kent, 30, the assistant manager of the Broadway Pub, said some of his customers had seen the incident.
He said: "I heard that the plane went down in the fields near Throop and it bounced three or four times. The pilot then steered it towards the river."
Mr Kent said the pilot guided the plane away from houses in the village and from people walking near the riverbank.
Copyright © 2011 The Press Association. All rights reserved.