I really hope I am not opening a can of worms here, and if so, I will withdraw the post. But..
from the BBC coverage, it was reported that the RAF had not been using the airbase since the 1970s. It is pure good luck therefore that the runway was not littered with dangerous obstructions. The consequences might have been unthinkable. If the worst had happened, do you you think there would still be sympathy for the flight crews' plight?