News reports have come in the afternoon of Jul. 3 that two RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft have crashed into the Moray Firth off the Eastern coast of Scotland.
The RNLI (Coastguard) has released information that two aircrew have been rescued from the water and have been flown to hospital in Inverness whereas the two remaining aircrew remain at the time of writing missing.
The incident is thought to have taken place shortly before 13.50 local time as this was when the alarm was raised and shortly after an RAF SAR helicopter plucked the pair of flyers from the sea.
Three lifeboats have been searching an area 25 miles (40km) south of Wick in the Beatrice Oil Field, which has an oil platform and a gas platform along with two experimental offshore wind turbines.
No further details have been released at this time.
A mid-air collision must be considered among the possible causes of the incident.
More from The Aviationist
The Incredible Armada of Aircraft Behind 1969’s Battle of Britain Film
On Sept. 15, 1969, cinema audiences were treated to a dramatic portrayal…
US Approves Possible Sale of Nine KC-46A Pegasus Tankers for Japan
The latest deal would take the number of KC-46As in Japan’s inventory…
U.S. State Department Approves $7.2B Sale Of F-35 Jets To Romania
The Foreign Military Sale’s approval comes after Romania announced the plan to…
Wooden Avengers, Target Kites, and Draftees: How America’s First New Deal Community Took the Fight to the Axis
Situated in the quiet hills of West Virginia, the small town of…
DARPA Awards BAE Systems $4 Million for Autonomous Beyond Visual Range Air Combat Program
Autonomy solutions for BVR combat will initially be developed and demonstrated on…
Richard Clements for TheAviationist.com
Image credit: Jez B/Flickr
