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A video captured the moment two Royal Air Force pilots ejected from a training aircraft before a fiery crash in Wales.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) said the incident involving a Hawk T2 aircraft happened near Anglesey on Wednesday after the pilots departed the RAF Valley base in the northwestern part of the country.
“Both pilots are doing well, they are in extremely good spirits and expected to make a full recovery,” the RAF said in a statement. “A formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is now underway and as a precautionary measure, the RAF has temporarily paused Hawk T1 and Hawk T2 flying operations.”
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A Royal Air Force Hawk T2 training aircraft crashed in Wales on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (Danni Jones via Storyful)
Footage taken by local resident Danni Jones and obtained by Storyful shows the pilots parachuting through the air after a fireball erupted in the Welsh countryside.
The RAF said on its website that the Hawk T2 “is a high-performance, 2-seat training jet equipped with advanced avionics and synthetic radar to simulate front-line combat aircraft like the Typhoon.”
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The Royal Air Force BAE Systems Hawk T2 participates is seen at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, on July 20, 2024. (NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Used primarily by the RAF for advanced jet training, it prepares pilots for complex tactical environments,” it added.
The cause of Wednesday’s crash was not immediately clear.
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)
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“RAF Valley on Anglesey is home to No 4 Flying Training School, responsible for training the UK’s next generation of world-class fighter pilots,” according to the RAF. “Aircrew are also trained at RAF Valley for mountain and maritime operations throughout the world.”
