- Hawk T2 trainer goes down near RAF Valley on Anglesey, the same base where Indian Air Force instructors began training British pilots less than two weeks earlier
ANGLESEY 23 SEPTEMBER 2026 (Agencies) – A Royal Air Force Hawk T2 advanced jet trainer crashed shortly after taking off from RAF Valley on Anglesey, North Wales, on Wednesday afternoon, with both pilots ejecting safely and sustaining only minor injuries.
The aircraft came down in the Pencarnisiog area, roughly a mile inland from the base, after witnesses reported seeing flames from the jet as it climbed. One eyewitness said the aircraft then pitched up violently twice before both pilots ejected and the Hawk crashed, bursting into flames and sending a large plume of black smoke into the air. North Wales Police said officers were in attendance alongside the RAF, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the Welsh Ambulance Service and Helimed, and confirmed the two pilots were being treated for what were thought to be minor injuries, with no reports of wider damage or injuries on the ground. An air ambulance and a coastguard helicopter also responded to the scene. A Royal Air Force spokesperson confirmed the incident involved a Hawk T2 flying out of RAF Valley and said an investigation was under way, adding that no further comment would be made at this time.
RAF Valley is home to No. 4 Flying Training School, where the Hawk T2 is used to train pilots progressing toward frontline aircraft including the Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35B. The RAF previously grounded its entire Hawk T2 fleet in January 2023 following an engine-related incident at the same base, and senior RAF officials have separately raised concerns in the past about the aircraft’s availability and engine reliability. The RAF has been working on plans for a successor to the Hawk T2. The cause of Wednesday’s crash has not been released, and the investigation will determine what led to the accident, including whether any aircraft or engine issue was involved.
The crash comes less than two weeks after three Indian Air Force Qualified Flying Instructors joined RAF Valley on September 11, in what the Indian Air Force described as a historic first in India-UK defence cooperation. The instructors, deployed for an initial two-year period, are training RAF pilots on the Hawk T2 and Texan T1 aircraft, remaining under Indian Air Force command while operating under RAF oversight. The arrangement followed the 19th UK-India Air Staff Talks held in New Delhi in February, and builds on wider defence cooperation between the two countries, including the posting of an IAF officer as an instructor at RAF College Cranwell in January. There is no indication in current reporting that the Indian instructors were involved in or connected to Wednesday’s crash.