Red Arrows pilot killed at base

Group Captain Simon Blake gives a statement outside RAF Scampton where a member of the Red Arrows air crew died
12 April 2012

A Red Arrows pilot has been killed after being ejected from his aircraft while on the ground.

The RAF said a full independent inquiry was being launched into the incident at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

The tragic accident came less than three months after another pilot with the world-famous aerobatics team, Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, 33, was killed in an air show crash in Dorset.

Medical teams rushed to RAF Scampton, the base of the Red Arrows, after the incident at about 11am.

The Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance airlifted the pilot to Lincoln County Hospital but his injuries were so severe that he could not be saved.

The Red Arrows completed their final display of the season in September and are carrying out their winter training at RAF Scampton.

Speaking at RAF Scampton, Group Captain Simon Blake said: "The pilot was ejected from the aircraft whilst the aircraft was on the ground.

"The director-general of the Military Aviation Authority is in the process of initiating a full and independent service inquiry to determine the cause of this tragic incident.

"It would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the incident until that inquiry is complete. The investigation will determine the facts. The pilot's next of kin have been informed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the pilot's family and friends at this difficult time."

The Red Arrows have suspended their training following the tragedy, although the rest of the Hawk T1s have not been grounded, the Ministry of Defence said.

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