Resources

Newsroom Simulation

MESSAGE 1
There has been a mid-air collision between an RAF jet and helicopter. It is believed that all passengers have been killed

MESSAGE 2
A helicopter pilot and two passengers were killed instantly today at 2.00pm when an RAF jet hit his aircraft at 600mph

MESSAGE 3
Emergency services at Kendal have been called to the scene of an air crash near a Primary school. Two people have been killed

MESSAGE 4
Mavis Bainbridge, of West View Farm, Crooklands, near to the crash scene, said: 'We do have RAF Tornados swooping low over our house and farm almost every day and sometimes they do look as though they will hit the farm'

MESSAGE 5
Helicopter Pilot Robert Reid (35) and Alan Trucker (52) died instantly as their Bell Jet Ranger crashed into a farmyard just south of Kendal, Cumbria. They were working for Shell Oil inspecting a pipeline near Kendal, Cumbria.

MESSAGE 6
The jet, an RAF Tornado was practising low-level bombing runs

MESSAGE 7
The damaged jet, which had been flying at 385 mph made an emergency landing at the British Aerospace factory at Warton, near Preston. The crew of the jet said that they thought that they had flown into a flock of birds and knew nothing of the collision with the Bell 206B Jet Ranger.

MESSAGE 8
Both aircraft were undertaking routine operations and it is assumed that flight plans would have been filed. Investigators for an RAF board of inquiry and the Department of Transport's air accident investigation bureau are at the scene of the crash at present searching for clues into the cause of the accident.

MESSAGE 9
Two bodies have been taken from the wreckage of a Bell helicopter which crashed in flames near Kendal.

MESSAGE 10
Cumbria County Council's deputy leader John Whiteman said: 'We have warned for a long time that low flying in the region has been an accident waiting to happen. We want stricter guide-lines and further assurances that something like this can never happen again'

MESSAGE 11
The Ministry of Defence report that one of a pair from RAF Bruggen in Germany, the Tornado left RAF Bruggen on a routine training flight including low-level flying in the Lake District. It is believed that it had been flying at 380 mph at a height of 500ft.

MESSAGE 12
Air traffic control at Warton near Preston say that at the time of the crash, the trace for the helicopter disappeared after its path crossed the RAF jet. The Ministry of Defence report that one engine of the jet is badly damaged.

MESSAGE 13
The Tornado landed safely at the British Aerospace airfield at Warton, in Preston suffering severe damage to its front carriage. A Ministry of Defence spokesman reports that neither the pilot or navigator were injured.

MESSAGE 14
Air Traffic control at Warton near Blackpool had no radio contact with the helicopter after 11.15am. Radar contact was lost shortly before noon.

MESSAGE 15
Helicopter crew Mr Reid, (37) from Chirnside, Berwickshire and his wife Carol (32) were expecting their second child next month. They have a 15 month old son. Mr Tucker (55) an Area Superintendent with Shell Chemicals UK, had been carrying out an inspection of the North Ethylene Pipeline at the time. He had worked with Shell for 34 years and was due to retire next year. He was the father of three adult sons and a grandfather of 7 children.

MESSAGE 16
Near misses between civilian aircraft and RAF jets are becoming more common. The shadow Defence Minister, is going to raise the incident in the Commons. He said: 'This underlies the dangers of low flying. Low flying, however important for RAF training. Must not be allowed to endanger civilian life. There is a constant fear that major accidents are just waiting to happen'

MESSAGE 17
Mrs Gillian Robinson, walking her dog in a nearby village saw the helicopter spiralling out of control. 'I just looked up because there were some jets flying over and then I looked over and saw the helicopter. It was just going round and round – it was falling out of the sky.'

MESSAGE 18
An air traffic controller, who did not wish to be named, said: There is little liaison between the RAF and civilian air traffic control. Near misses are quite common.

MESSAGE 19
The accident scattered wreckage over a wide area close to junction 36 of the M6 near Kirkby Lonsdale

MESSAGE 20
A close relative of one of the dead men said he could not believe that the Tornado crew did not know they had hit the helicopter. He accused the RAF of a cover-up.

MESSAGE 21
Mavis Bainbridge of West View Farm, near the crash scene said: 'We have RAF planes swooping low over the house almost every day. Sometimes they look as if they are going to hit the farm. The animals get very upset sometimes. Last week our hens stopped laying because of the noise of the jets.'

MESSAGE 22
The Defence Secretary denied that the crash could have been avoided if the ALFENS (Automated Low Flying, Flight Planning, Enquiry and Notification System) safety system had been introduced. There has already been a serious delay in introducing this system and under the present system of radio contact and paper charts there is a continuing risk of disastrous accidents.