domingo, 11 de agosto de 2013

RAF airman dies in hospital after Tornado crash in Moray Firth - Telegraph.co.uk

The two £40 million Tornado GR4 jets were on a routine training mission from their base at RAF Lossiemouth when the accident happened around 25 miles south of Wick.

Rescue teams spotted one aircraft in the sea, near the Beatrice oilfield, but there was no sighting, during a search carried out in thick fog, of the second Tornado.

Fred Caygill, a Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman, said: "The search and rescue phase of the mission was terminated at 7.04pm yesterday evening.

"We are now in a recovery phase. We stand by to assist the Ministry of Defence in any way that we can if required."

Jim Ferguson, an aviation expert, said the poor weather conditions in the area were likely to have hampered the rescue operation with fog and poor visibility for most of the day.

He added that the Ministry of Defence may now be using Remotely Operated Vehicles owned by the offshore industry to assist them in the search for wrecked jets on the sea bed.

"We don't know at what height this crash occurred but any time this has happened in the past they tend to grab something from the oil industry that has an underwater search capability," said Mr Ferguson.

"They will have radars in use and will have a pretty good idea of where to look but if there has been a mid air collision parts could be spread over a mile."

Witnesses are said to have seen a pair of Tornados flying east near Spean Bridge, outside Fort William, shortly before the crash. Flying conditions were said to have been good at the time.

Police and coastguards have been patrolling shorelines around the Moray Firth and members of the public have been asked to report any debris. Some wreckage has already been recovered by lifeboat crews.

Alex Salmond, the First Minister, said: "I understand rescue services have done all they can to help with the situation and offer my thanks to all those involved."

The incident was the fourth accident involving RAF Tornado aircraft in the past three years and an investigation has been launched.

In January 2011, an engine fire caused a Tornado GR4 based at RAF Lossiemouth to crash into the sea off north west Scotland. The crew in that incident managed to eject to safety.

The following month, a Tornado crew escaped without serious injury when they were forced to eject after experiencing problems landing at the base.

In 2009, an RAF pilot and navigator were killed when their Tornado F3, from RAF Leuchars, crashed into a hillside in Argyll on a routine flight.

The supersonic Tornado GR4 attack aircraft has seen decades of RAF service, being used in various military operations that include in Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan and most recently Libya.

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