Cornwall plane crash: two pilots from RNAS Culdrose eject from Royal Navy Hawk jet near Helston – the latest news

Two pilots have ejected from a Royal Navy Hawk jet over Cornwall which then crashed and exploded in a field, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

A statement said: “Two pilots are being checked by medics after ejecting from a Royal Navy Hawk aircraft from 736 Naval Air Squadron during a flight from RNAS Culdrose. An investigation will begin in due course. We won’t be providing further detail at this time.”

Devon as Cornwall Police said two people at the scene in the St Martins area of Helston were treated by ambulance crews and will be taken to hospital.

The force tweeted: “Emergency services are currently in the St Martins area of Helston following reports of a plane crash. Public are asked to avoid the area whilst first responders attend the scene.

“Two people have been treated by ambulance at the scene and will now be taken to hospital."

Who are the crew?

The crew are members of the 736 Naval Air Squadron and were on a flight from RNAS Culdrose, which is based on the Lizard peninsula near Helston.

They have been airlifted to Derriford hospital to be treated for their injuries, which are not currently thought to be life-threatening or changing.

The BAE Systems Hawk is a British single-engine, jet-powered advanced trainer aircraft first flown in 1974 as the Hawker Siddeley Hawk.

It is used in a training capacity and as a low-cost combat aircraft by the Royal Air Force, most notably the Red Arrows display team, but also by a considerable number of foreign military operators.

The 736 squadron's main role is to simulate ship attacks for Navy or NATO ships in training, and are also used to replicate attacks on helicopters to train crews in fighter jet evasion.