Tornado Crash in Sea Off St Andrews
 

Just seen ticker on Sky, any further.

Hope it's not bad.

Also reported on ITV news, no more details. Hope the crew are ok.

CBA

Link to sky.com http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...199086,00.html

BBC are reporting the crew are injured and have been flown to hospital in Dundee. Hope the injuries heal rapidly chaps.

Just been on the news that both ejected safely

Further information at BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4343648.stm

Both ejected - on transport to Dundee for check up.

Jordan

Well done to all involved in the rescue.

A speedy recovery to the crew.

Good to learn they're both OK. And well done to the rescue mates!

Some points:

1. The BBC quoted some faceless MoD spokespratt as saying:
"A formal investigation will be launched to find out if the accident was caused by pilot error or any malfunction of the jet."

That is outrageous and presumptive - the idiot should have said: "A formal investigation will be launched to find out the cause".

What sort of wanqueurre makes this sort of comment to the meeja? Don't MoD Corporate Communications :yuk: teach their idiots anything these days? It's like saying "We'll find out if the pilot fcuked up - or if there was another cause".

2. WTF were they doing taking off on a 'training exercise' so late on a Friday afternoon?

Wish both a speedy return to the cockpit, but why did the MOD spokesperson have to mention pilot error? Why not simply say that an investgation would determine the cause. Innocent until proven guilty I thought.

Getting airborne on a Friday after Happy Hour should have started would never have happened in my day -- perhaps that's the cause....

Tarnished


Edited to add:
Seems BEages we have the same thoughts! Yikes!

Harking back to the issues raised in the CFT thread?

Glad both are OK.

Beags, you've moved me from my slumbers to add my whole hearted agreement to your comments. Where on earth do we get such mindless morons who utter such crap in the name of the MoD. I'm also minded to lament the loss of the handy local SAR Chopper which we knew in our day, but well done to all those involved in the pick-up even if they did have further to travel. :ok:

A little more from the BBC,

" Tornado jet crashes off Scotland,

An RAF tornado plane has crashed into the sea off the east coast of Scotland shortly after taking off from its base.
The pilot and navigator suffered minor injuries after ejecting from the £20m fighter jet about 1745 BST on Friday.

The two crewmen, who were on a training exercise, were picked up 10 miles south east of RAF Leuchars in Fife.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the men, who were taken by helicopter to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, were "fit" but they had "bumps and scrapes".

They were later taken to a spinal unit in Nottingham to be assessed for any serious injury.

Meanwhile, a specialist RAF crash recovery team from Wales was to make its way north to recover the wreckage of the fighter plane.

RAF spokesman in Scotland, Michael Mulford, said: "They took off at 1745 BST and climbed into the skies above Leuchars and air traffic lost them.

"They would have travelled about 10 miles and their flight would have lasted about two minutes before they came down, going at about 500mph.

"They will be assessed at a spinal unit down south for a couple of days as a matter of procedure, as when you bang out like that, you can bend your spine.

"Once you eject, your parachute opens and you land in the sea still in your seat, which becomes your dinghy, and has a distress beacon attached.

"That's how they are located. They were in Ninewells Hospital an hour after ditching - that's a textbook rescue, I can tell you."

Fighter squadrons

The RAF Board of Inquiry will meet next week to investigate the accident - pilot error, mechanical or electrical malfunction, fire on board or bird strike are possible causes.

RAF Leuchars is home to three Tornado F3 fighter squadrons which have about 50 jets, equipped with rockets, cannon and missiles.

The men were found shortly before 1830 BST after two lifeboats and two helicopters scoured the area where the F3 went down.

The Sea King helicopters were scrambled from RAF Boulmer in Northumberland and from the naval air station at Gannett, near Prestwick in Ayrshire.

The aircraft from RAF Boulmer found the pair and airlifted them to hospital. "

Que? Which Mk of seat is that then?

Who writes this stuff??

Good news though, well done to all involved in the rescue.

STH

STH,

Typical journo boll**ks. In there to add a bit of excitement and sensationalism. You could pick enormous holes in that 'RAF Spokesman' statement.

Still, all the best guys, hope the "bumps and scrapes" heal up quickly.

On the plus side, there's a story to tell the grandchildren:ok: :ok:
One which will get better every year :p :p

Surely if you land in the sea still in your seat it rapidly becomes a submarine? :confused:

Don't know which missiles they are referring to as rockets but the manufacturer will not find that funny. Or maybe it was the rockets in the seats?

It would be better off producing a set of inflatable wheels, as that would be the only way you would be getting around after hitting the oggin still strapped into the thing:sad:

Banging out doesn't sound like a ditching to me. Who on earth is employed by the MOD as a spokesman to make ill thought out statements such as these?

Shocking:mad:

Looks to me like some journo needs to practice their shorthand more!

Suprisingly enough, the green clads over on the 18th took exception to the Beeb using "Pilot error" as a header in the article and complained... The beeb changed it too!

Pongos sticking up for Crabs? Whatever next! ;)

Rak, it's sometimes referred to as 'uniting against a common enemy'. We've ALL been shafted by inaccurate reporting.

Good to see you're keeping up with us on t'other side.:ok:

Just edited to add a well-done to the crews from Gannet and Boulmer - not applauded often enough IMHO.