Flaming debris fell just yards from holiday caravans and a family home when an RAF fighter jet crashed in Wales this morning, a local farmer has revealed.
Richard Owen, 88, owner of Afallon Caravan Park near Rhosneigr, Anglesey, described his dramatic near miss with the wrecked plane, which remains scattered across his field.
The Hawk T2, reportedly on its first test flight after repairs, failed just moments taking off from RAF Valley, with witnesses reporting it had been trailing flames on the runway.
Spectacular footage shows the two pilots ejecting from the plane, which was jerking around erratically, before it plummets and darts nose-first into the ground with an enormous fireball.
The pair, understood to be studying at the No 4 Flying Training School out of RAF Valley, were still being treated for injuries this evening after parachuting to the ground.
Meanwhile, the RAF has halted all flights involving its Hawk T1 and T2 models while it investigates the crash.
Mr Owen said he was in the kitchen when the initial bang rang out, but at first he ‘didn’t think much about it’.
He said: ‘We are on the flight path and there are planes overhead every day. We’re just a couple of miles from the runway.
‘But then I heard a second bang and I saw the fire and flames. It landed just on the other side of the park.
‘I went out to take a look. There were little bits of wreckage all around the site. The tail section must have blown off and landed next to one of the caravans.
‘There was lots of smoke, thick black smoke. I didn’t dare to go too close. I was worried about it exploding.’
Mr Owen said he was thankful most of his 30 caravans were empty, and that the vehicles were largely unscathed.
While it took the RAF police around 15 minutes to arrive, the farmer reported that a helicopter was with the ejected pilots within ‘a minute or two’.
A local source claimed the plane had ‘just been repaired after a faulty component’.
They said: ‘This was a test flight and they realised pretty quickly that something was wrong. It was a very lucky escape for all involved.’
Pete Bennett told North Wales Live: ‘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 Ministry of Defence refused to comment on whether the plane was on a test flight.
A RAF spokesperson said: ‘An incident involving an RAF T2 Hawk aircraft, flying out of RAF Valley, occurred near Anglesey. An investigation is underway and we will not comment further at this time.’
Another witness, Shelley, watched the plane crash just a few hundred metres from her home office window.
She said: ‘I was working when I heard this loud bang and I thought, “What on earth is that?” It must have been the pilots ejecting because the next thing I was watching as the plane came down and exploded.
‘I picked up the phone and dialled 999. The lady asked me what service I wanted and I said, “All of them!” I was still on the 999 call when I saw the parachutes coming down, which was a relief as it hopefully meant everyone was ok.
Another local said it was ‘a fear’ living near the base, and that there had been several plane crashes linked to RAF Valley over the years.
She said: ‘We are right in the flight path. There are so many planes taking off from eight in the morning. They are so low and so loud. We always know there will be another crash but we never know when. It’s good nobody was hurt this time. But it makes me so nervous.’
An RAF engineer serving with the Red Arrows was killed and a pilot badly injured in 2018 when their Hawk T1 stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff.
Coroner Katie Sutherland later ruled the death was avoidable and highlighted that the MoD had looked at installing a stall warning system on the Hawk jets following a crash at Mona Airfield at nearby Bodffordd in 2007.
Aviation security expert Julian Bray told the Daily Mail it was too soon to know the cause of the crash, but said it ‘had to be pretty serious because both of them bailed out’.
‘Something has gone wrong by the angle of the aircraft in the stalled position,’ he added.
‘It might have flamed out, the engine might have given up. It’s less likely, but it’s possible it was a bird strike. Or a malfunction somewhere – but these aircrafts are looked after like babies.’
One witness said they had watched the jet take off and told his wife ‘It’s in trouble as I could see flames’.
He wrote: ‘We watched it climb then as it was parallel with us, it started to pitch up violently twice… then both pilots ejected and the Hawk crashed about a mile away.’
North Wales Police warned people to avoid the area ‘until further notice’.
It added: ‘Local officers are in attendance to reports of an incident involving an aircraft in the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey, alongside colleagues from 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. Updates will be issued when appropriate.’
A separate video posted on Facebook shows a Wales Air Ambulance helicopter landing in a field close to the incident.
Mr Bray told us the initial white flash seen in the video as the plane descends is the initiation of the Martin Baker ejector seats, fitted as standard in all Hawk T2s.
‘You can see the aircraft is definitely not right and so the two pilots decided to eject.
‘So what they do is they pull a lever and the rest of it is automatic. There’s a rocket under the seat and the rocket explodes, fires them up into the air as the plane is going quite fast. They have to eject very, very quickly or they will get sliced by the tail fin.’
The Baker seats, made by a British firm, have saved the lives of more than 7,800 service personnel across the globe since development.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting posted on X and said: ‘An investigation is underway. My thoughts are first and foremost with the pilots. We will provide further updates in due course.’
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service issued an update on Wednesday afternoon and said the blaze is now ‘under control’.
A spokesperson said: ‘North Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews and officers attended at an incident involving an aircraft in the Pencarnisiog area of Anglesey, working alongside colleagues from Royal Air Force, North Wales Police, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and Wales Air Ambulance.
‘The fire is now under control.
‘Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while emergency services continue their work safely.’
RAF Valley, where Prince William was once stationed as a search-and-rescue pilot flying Sea King helicopters, is home to the RAF’s No4 Flying Training School and is responsible for training Britain’s next generation of fighter pilots.
The Hawk T2 is built by BAE Systems and has been used to train British pilots since 1976.
It 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.
The entire fleet was briefly grounded in January 2023 amid concerns after a blade failed during an incident on the runway at RAF Valley.
They were allowed to resume operating the following month.
