Red Arrows grounded after Royal Navy plane crash in Cornwall

The Red Arrows have been grounded following a Royal Navy plane crash in Cornwall.

The Red Arrows display team have been grounded following a plane crash in Cornwall.

A Royal Navy Hawk T1 jet crashed in a farmer’s field in St Martin, near Helston, on 25 March.

The two pilots on board managed to eject from the aircraft, which was from the 736 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose.

The Red Arrows use the same model of plane for their famous displays, but have been grounded while the Ministry of Defence (MoD) conducts an investigation.

Pictures from the scene in Cornwall:

The wreckage of the Royal Navy plane in a field in St Martin, near Helston.
Fragments of the plane were found shortly after the crash. Credit: Anthony Hosking
A parachute snagged in a tree at the scene of the crash.

A MoD spokesperson explained: “Safety is our paramount concern.

Police first received reports of the crash on the Lizard Peninsula at around 9.30am.

The pilots, who were airlifted to hospital, are in a stable condition “without significant injury", police said.

The ejection was the first from a Royal Navy aircraft in 18 years.

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