Video shows the dramatic moment two Royal Air Force pilots ejected from a training jet moments before it crashed in flames in Wales.
The RAF said the Hawk T2 went down near Anglesey on Wednesday, shortly after the two pilots took off from RAF Valley in northwestern Wales.
“Both pilots are doing well, they are in extremely good spirits and expected to make a full recovery,” the RAF said in a statement. The service added that a formal investigation has begun and that Hawk T1 and Hawk T2 flights have been temporarily suspended as a precaution.
A Royal Air Force Hawk T2 training aircraft crashed in Wales on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Danni Jones via Storyful)
Footage recorded by local resident Danni Jones and obtained by Storyful captures the pilots descending by parachute as a fireball rises from the Welsh countryside below.
According to the RAF, the Hawk T2 is a “high-performance, 2-seat training jet equipped with advanced avionics and synthetic radar” designed to replicate the capabilities of front-line aircraft such as the Typhoon.
The Royal Air Force BAE Systems Hawk T2 is seen at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, on July 20, 2024. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The aircraft is used mainly for advanced jet instruction, helping prepare pilots to operate in demanding tactical conditions, the RAF said.
Officials had not determined what caused Wednesday’s crash.
A Royal Air Force British Aerospace Hawk T2 flies along the Machynlleth Loop, a set of valleys in north Wales where pilots train in low-level flying, on March 27, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
RAF Valley, located on Anglesey, is home to No. 4 Flying Training School, which trains the next generation of British fighter pilots. The base also provides instruction for aircrew preparing for mountain and maritime missions around the world, according to the RAF.