Crew Safe As RAF Jet Ditches in Sea Options

[bluebird121]

As quoted in my local paper today.
A Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars crashed into the sea near St.Andrews minutes after take-off yesterday evening.
The pilot and navigator were rescued by helicopter and taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. One had a minor leg injury and the other was not thought to have been hurt.
The plane from 111 (F) Squadron went down at about 5.45 pm in St. Andrews's Bay after running into difficulties just five minutes after taking off.
The crash is under investigation but Fife Coastguard reported that the weather was moderate with good visibility.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said,"A few minutes after take-off air traffic control lost contact with the jet.
The two crew were located and were taken to hospital and their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
An RAF spokesman said, "They would have travelled about 10 miles and their flight would have lasted about two minutes before they came down, going at about 500mph.
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 is how they are located. They were in Ninewells Hospital an hour after ditching -that's a text book rescue i can tell you".

I am so glad they survived it..

[flyingfox]

Me too, its a good thing they survived, planes can be rebuilt but human beings cant so at the end of the day, one destroyed aircraft and two surviving crew members is well worth it 8)