RAF Tornado crash: one crew member dies, two more feared dead

Two RAF Tornado GR4 fighter jets similar to those that crashed in the Moray Firth on Tuesday. Photograph Andrew Parsons/PA

The crash involving two RAF Tornado fighter jets over the north-east coast of Scotland claimed the lives of three crew members, the Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday.

In a statement, the commander of RAF Lossiemouth, where the Tornado squadrons are based, said one of the men rescued by the lifeboat service on Tuesday had died, and a second was in a serious but stable condition.

But he said the crew of the second Tornado had not been found. "Given the length of time that has elapsed since the accident, there is no expectation of recovering missing personnel alive," said Group Captain Ian Gale.

The search in the Moray Firth had to be abandoned because of poor weather, but will resume as soon as possible.

The full statement said: "Following the incident involving two of our Tornado GR4 aircraft in the Moray Firth yesterday, it is with great sadness that I must confirm the death of one of the crew members, an officer from 15 (Reserve) Squadron, based here at RAF Lossiemouth. A second crew member remains under medical care, where he is in a serious but stable condition.

"Two additional personnel remain unaccounted for. Due to extremely poor weather conditions in the area, the RAF and Her Majesty's Coastguard have made a joint decision not to resume search and rescue operations.

"The operation will be resumed as a recovery operation as soon as possible, but we must be realistic. Given the length of time that has elapsed since the accident, there is no expectation of recovering missing personnel alive.

"The Royal Air Force is in contact with the next of kin of all those involved. As I am sure you will understand, they have asked for a period of time to take in the news and inform extended family members before further details are released. The Royal Air Force intend to respect this and I would ask the media to do likewise.

"Clearly, this incident will be subject to full investigation, and a service inquiry will be led by the Military Aviation Authority. It is important that we establish the facts of what happened and it is vital that the investigation is allowed to take its course. But the priority now is to ensure that the families of those involved receive the support they need at this most difficult of times."

The incident involved two Tornado GR4 aircraft, a type of combat jet that is in use in Afghanistan and was used extensively over Libya last year. The aircraft flew from RAF Lossiemouth, which is the UK's biggest fast-jet base and home to three operational squadrons of Tornado GR4s, including the Tornado GR4 operational conversion unit, which trains aircrew. Each plane carries two crew. It is understood the jets were flying together and were involved in a practice bombing run shortly before the crash.

Some 15 lifeboat volunteers joined the rescue operation in three boats after reports that the jets came down about 25 miles south of Wick in the Highlands.

In July 2009, an RAF pilot and navigator were killed when their Tornado F3 jet crashed into a hillside in Argyll. Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Thompson, 27, and Flight Lieutenant Nigel Morton, 43, died in the crash near the village of Arrochar.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/04/raf-tornado-jet-crash-one-dies-two-feared-dead

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