Two die in Tornado crash
RAF Tornado crashes in Argyll
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Thursday, 02, Jul 2009 04:31
An RAF Tornado has crashed into a hillside in Argyll, killing the pilot and the navigator onboard.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence confirmed the deaths of the two aircrew, from 43 Squadron, RAF Leuchars, in the crash.
The aircraft is believed to have crashed two miles to the west of Loch Lomond during a routine training flight at 11:45 BST this morning.
There are not thought to have been any civilian casualties in the incident and emergency crews are currently at the scene.
Strathclyde fire and rescue released a statement saying its operations support centre received a call reporting that an aircraft, possibly an RAF Tornado, had crashed into the hillside near the A83 at Cairndow.
"Five fire appliances, two major incident units with heavy rescue equipment and a technical support unit to deal with any potential hazardous materials and to minimise any environmental impact were mobilised as a result," the statement continues.
"Strathclyde fire and rescue personnel are working alongside personnel from the RAF, the police and ambulance services to deal with this incident and to locate the occupants of the aircraft."
The next of kin of the aircrew have been informed.