Red Arrows crash in Bournemouth

Photo Elpidoforos Papanikolopoulos (CC BY 2.0)

(Updated Aug 20, 2011 @ 2016): One of the Red Arrows’ aircraft crashed early this afternoon at Bornemouth Air Festival in the UK. It would appear the pilot was able to eject but was killed. The causes of the crash are unknown.

The MoD has confirmed that the pilot involved was F/L Jon Egging, aged 33. Known under the callsign “Eggman” with the Red Arrows, he flew as “Red 4”.

Witness reports at this time give conflicting versions of what happened but photo evidence does seem to show he ejected from the aircraft at low altitude. It appears F/L Egging tried to guide his airplane away from the airfield and any housing, sacrificing his life in an attempt to protect that of others.

Sources:

• Red Arrows website
• The Telegraph
• BBC
• Bournemouth Echo