RAF grounds Hawk fleet after two pilots eject from training jet in Wales

Aircraft crash and ejection

A Royal Air Force Hawk T2 training jet crashed on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. Both pilots on board activated their ejection seats shortly before the aircraft hit the ground in the Pencarnisiog area. Video recordings circulated online showed two parachutes deploying at low altitude as the jet descended and burst into a fireball near residential properties. North Wales Police confirmed that both crew members survived the incident with minor injuries and that there were no reports of casualties among the public. First responders reported no structural damage to surrounding homes or agricultural properties.

Eyewitness accounts from the scene

Witnesses near RAF Valley observed the aircraft run into difficulties immediately after taking off from the runway. Pete Bennett watched the ascent and noted that open flames appeared near the rear of the jet before the aircrew initiated ejection.

“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 pilots ejected and both parachutes opened.”

Another witness, Ollie Zalot, was travelling along the nearby A55 dual carriageway when he heard a loud bang and saw smoke rising beside a farmyard. Zalot noted that the intensity of the flames exceeded a bonfire, leading him to fear for people in nearby buildings until he saw the parachutes descending. Anglesey county councillor Neville Evans stated that it was fortunate that nobody on the ground was injured during the impact.

Emergency response and medical transport

Emergency response teams converged on the Pencarnisiog crash site within minutes of the impact. North Wales Police deployed local officers alongside units from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the Welsh Ambulance Service University Health Trust, and Helimed teams. Search and rescue helicopters from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Welsh Air Ambulance evacuated the two pilots from Anglesey to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Police established a security cordon around the crash zone, asking members of the public to avoid the area until further notice while emergency teams secured the wreckage.

Operational pause and official investigation

The Royal Air Force announced a precautionary flight pause covering both Hawk T1 and Hawk T2 aircraft across the military fleet while investigators assess the cause. The decision affects daily flight training at RAF Valley, the base for No 4 Flying Training School where fast-jet pilots are prepared for frontline service, as well as the Red Arrows display team which uses the T1 variant. The Red Arrows had no flight displays scheduled until the upcoming weekend. The air force confirmed that an official investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the crash, adding that support is being provided to the families of both pilots. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting addressed the incident during a speech in London and issued a statement outlining the government review.

“My thoughts are first and foremost with the pilots. We will provide further updates in due course.”