RAF pilots forced to eject from Hawk moments before fireball explosion will make 'full recovery'

RAF pilots forced to eject from Hawk moments before fireball explosion will make 'full recovery' As a veteran RAF flying insructor and a trainee recover from dramatically ejecting from their stricken fast-jet a major probe is launched and all Hawk planes are grounded TWO RAF pilots were still recovering last night from minor injuries after cheating death by ejecting from their military fast-jet. Sources said it is possible their Hawk T2 aircraft, a training plane, may have been steered away from buildings and aimed at a field as it headed for a crash. It ran into difficulty, crashing shortly after take-off from RAF Valley in Anglesey on Wednesday. Both pilots were filmed parachuting back to the ground after ejecting at the same time within seconds from the plane crashing. One source, familiar with RAF practice, told the Mirror : “The decision to eject was likely taken by a senior instructor who pressed ‘eject’ for both people. “The plane hit a field and it is likely whoever took control will have done all they could to void it hitting a building or people.” Amazing footage showed them rocketing out of their cockpits after pressing ‘eject’ before the plane hit the ground and burst into a fireball. Gp Capt Gez Currie, Station Commander, told the BBC : "The aircraft would have been aimed in a direction that the pilot believed was open field, in order to avoid built-up areas and anybody on the ground." The Hawk T2 aircraft had been flying out of the RAF base when it smashed into the ground nearby in Pencarnisiog. It is believed both pilots, a trainee and a veteran flyer will make a full recovery as the RAF launched a full investigation into the crash. The T2 version of the Hawk, which prepares pilots for flying Typhoon jets, is a slightly more sophisticated version of the variant used by the Red Arrows display team. All flying of the craft, including the Red Arrows has been put on hold pending the investigation into what went wrong. It is believed the two pilots are still in hospital and are undergoing check-ups. Gp Capt Currie confirmed that the two people involved are a trainee and an experienced pilot. Asked what went wrong he said: “It’s far too early to even suggest what has happened in this occasion. "It was a trainee, with a highly experienced instructor on a routine sortie, across the Anglesey area." He confirmed that in his 30-year career as an air traffic controller, "this is the first time I've experienced this.” It is not known how the two pilots decided quickly to eject. Both flyers will have had an ejection lever which they can pull individually, although it is believed the instructor will have been able to eject them both. The RAF said: “Both pilots are doing well, they are in extremely good spirits and expected to make a full recovery. "A formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is now under way and, as a precautionary measure, the RAF has temporarily paused Hawk T1 and Hawk T2 flying operations." It is not known when flying of the Hawks will resume.