Tattoo-bound jet fighter in crash drama

10:21am Friday 14th July 2006

An RAF fighter plane crashed yesterday en route to this weekend's Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.

The Harrier jump jet crashed near a pub and main road in Oxfordshire, apparently striking a car as it came down.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed the plane crashed at about 5pm, but said the pilot ejected safely.

RAF Harrier GR9, which was flying to Fairford, came down near Sturdy's Castle Pub in Tackley, near Kidlington.

Catriona Hamlet, who works at the pub, said the plane hit a car, but the driver was not badly injured.

The pilot ejected safely and has been taken to an Oxford hospital by a local police helicopter Ms Hamlet said the crash happened within a few hundred yards of the pub.

The aeroplane was due to go on display at the Air Tattoo at the Gloucestershire airfield over the weekend.

An Air Tattoo spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that an RAF Harrier GR9 inbound to be on static display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford has crashed.

"The pilot ejected safely and was taken to an Oxford hospital."

The MoD said: "The cause of the crash will be the subject of an investigation in due course."

Eyewitness Matt Gray said: "It seems the aircraft did a fly-by of Oxford Airport first before circling around possibly to join the traffic pattern for landing."