Police ask anyone who saw the Red Arrows jet which crashed at RAF Valley to contact them

North Wales Police is appealing to anyone who may have seen the Red Arrows Hawk aircraft which crashed on Anglesey this afternoon to contact them.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed this evening an engineer from the Red Arrows aerobatic team died in an air crash involving one of it’s iconic red jets at RAF Valley today.

An MOD statement was said;

“It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defence must confirm the death of an engineer from the RAF Aerobatics Team (The Red Arrows) in a tragic accident today.

The serviceman’s family have been informed and have asked for a period of grace before further details are released.

The pilot of the aircraft survived the incident and is currently receiving medical care.”

It’s thought the aircraft was flying from RAF Valley to the team’s base at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire when it crashed.

North Wales Police say the were alerted to the incident at 1.50pm – they and other local emergency services responded to calls for assistance from the RAF Valley base.

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said they were called shortly before 1.30pm this afternoon they sent emergency ambulance and a Wales Air Ambulance to the scene.

Following the aircraft incident at RAF Valley earlier this afternoon, if you were an eyewitness, please send any photographs of the incident to rafwebadmin@btconnect.com. Any images may help with an investigation. Please DO NOT share these online. Please be sensitive, thank you.

— Royal Air Force (@RoyalAirForce) March 20, 2018

Chief Inspector Simon Barrasford at North Wales Police who is leading the initial response said

“The aircraft involved, a Red Arrows Hawk crewed by two RAF personnel was reported to have crashed. Sadly I can confirm that one of the two personnel has died whilst his colleague is now being treated in hospital. Our thoughts are with both men’s families at this very difficult time.

Until that time it would be inappropriate to add anything further. The Coroner for north west Wales will also be informed.”

Police and Crime Scene investigators supported by other specialists have begun a joint investigation led by the Air Accident Investigation Branch to establish what led up to and caused the crash.

“North Wales Police is appealing for help from the public and local communities and so I’d ask if anyone sighted the Hawk aircraft this afternoon to contact North Wales Police via the live web chat 

http://www.north-wales.police.uk/contact/chat-support.aspx or by phoning 101.”  added Chief Inspector Simon Barrasford.