Red Arrows crash lands one in hospital
It has been reported that the Red Arrows display team have suffered a mid-air collision during a training exercise. The incident is understood to have occurred this morning over Hellenic Air Force Base in Kastelli, Crete.
The Royal Air Force’s world famous display team were in Crete participating in a pre-season training exercise. A Foreign Office spokeswoman has confirmed that one pilot was taken to hospital. The injured pilot is believed to have ejected from his damaged aircraft following contact with another of the teams BAe Hawk T1 jets. The second aircraft involved landed safely.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed the accident did happen and that the two pilots involved were Flt Lt Mike Ling and Flt Lt Dave Montenegro. The short statement said the Flt Lt Ling ejected, suffering "a dislocated shoulder and minor injuries associated with an ejection." The aircraft was badly damaged on impacting the runway. The second aircraft involved, was landed with damage to the tail of the aircraft as shown on the Sky news website.
The MOD also communicated that a full investigation would begin as soon as possible and that the Red Arrows training would resume in the near future.
Source: BBC
