 The Harrier overshot the runway during the emergency landing |
An RAF fighter pilot had to make an emergency crash landing on Thursday after his plane struck a bird. The Harrier was on a routine flight from Leicestershire when the bird was sucked into the plane's engine in the skies over Cheltenham.
The pilot was forced to crash-land at the nearest air base RAF St Athan, near Barry in south Wales, but it is believed that he was uninjured during the landing.
An RAF spokeswoman said: "There was minor damage caused in the collision and the plane overshot the runway and ended up in a hedge at the base.
"A bird strike is never good, especially as the Harrier is a single-engined aircraft."
The Harrier jet was from 4 Squadron based in RAF Cottesmore and was on a routine trip.
Roads around RAF St Athan were closed until the plane made its landing.
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