Two British pilots ejected from aircraft after reported crash

Two pilots were ejected from a Royal Navy aircraft during a flight over an English seaside county, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

The BBC and Sky News among other news sources reported that the pilots were ejected after the Royal Navy Hawk aircraft crashed while flying over a helicopter base in Cornwall.

The country’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that the pilots were ejected from the aircraft while flying in Cornwall but did not confirm if the aircraft had crashed.

The two pilots were treated at the scene they were taken to a hospital, Cornwall Police said.

“Their injuries were not currently thought to be life-threatening or changing.

“Members of the public were being asked to avoid the area,” the force said.

The pilots are in a stable condition “without significant injury”, police said.

Defence Minister Johnny Mercer said the crash was due to “suspected engine failure”.

Police also said they received reports of the two-seater training aircraft crashing in the St Martin area on the Lizard Peninsula.

Eyewitness David Hoskin, a farmer, said he heard an “unbelievable bang” and saw two people ejecting from the plane.

He found the two men “in fairly good spirits” and “chatting” in a field near the crash scene.

One had “cuts and bruises” on his face from landing in trees next to the field.

“The pilot was very concerned about the whereabouts of the jet,” he said, adding, “He said they aimed to put it in the Helford River but we saw it heading away from the river.”