A shocking report has disclosed a hair-raising near-miss between two RAF Hawk jets and an unidentified civilian aircraft. The incident was close to Brynsiencyn, Anglesey just north of the Menai Strait earlier this year.
A probe into the nerve-wracking event concluded that the military aircraft skimmed just 150ft above and 100ft to the side of the civilian two-seater, with the risk level of collision being classified as “medium”.
The incident resulted in no casualties. A UK Airprox (Air proximity) Board UKAB report detailed that the scare took place on January 30 at 3.35pm, with the Hawks initially cruising westwards above the A5 near Bethesda.
At 2,000ft, the pilots were suddenly made aware of a “non-cooperating aircraft” nearby – ominously described as “non-squawking” and “non-talking” on the radio – lurking near the Menai Strait.
On the day of the incident, the UKAB observed that although it’s typically advised to climb from 2,000ft to 2,500ft, adverse weather conditions with low cloud cover rendered such a manoeuvre unfeasible, according to North Wales Live.
In response, the Hawk pilots gently veered southward in hopes of spotting the elusive C-42 civilian plane, which they eventually sighted ahead, two miles away and crossing their path from right to left, as established by the UKAB’s investigation.
The Hawk pilots, choosing to soar over and ahead of the civilian aircraft, successfully averted a potential clash. The identity of the civilian plane’s pilot remains undisclosed.
The UK Airprox Board (UKAB) reported: “Crew recollection estimated a height separation of approximately 150ft and lateral separation of approximately 100ft.”
In the debrief, air traffic control (ATC), already apprised of the near-miss, along with the executive flying supervisor, were briefed on the Airprox. ATC also contacted Caernarfon Aerodrome to ascertain the operator of the involved aircraft.
Caernarfon’s feedback indicated that the aircraft did not originate from their aerodrome.
The UKAB noted that the cloud ceiling was around 2,200 feet at the time and pointed out that the civilian pilot appeared not to be using their transponder or in communication with Valley air traffic control.
Furthermore, there was no three-way communication between the pilot, Valley ATC, and Caernarfon ATC. The UKAB deduced: “It is likely that if even one of the above was different, the (incident) would have been more distant and the probability of a collision reduced substantially further.
“The information provided by the Approach controller (to the Hawks) was timely, proactive and accurate.”