Recent Incidents Giving Cause for Concern
July 2006: RAF plane flies so close to a passenger jet leaving Durham Tees Valley airport that the crew “was virtually able to see the other pilot”.
February 1, 2005: Two military planes involved in a near-miss with a Jetstream 41 aircraft over Northumberland coast.
October 2004: Passenger plane comes within 200ft of crashing with two military jets in what is described as a “deeply disturbing incident”.
October 1, 2003: Military aircraft infringed Newcastle Airport airspace.
June 16, 2003: Airprox between Amsterdam passenger plane and three fast jets as it leaves Teesside Airport.
July, 2003: Two fighters come within 50ft of hitting a light aircraft over the North-East. The jets and private plane were less than a second from colliding as they passed each other over Coquet Island in Northumberland.
September 10, 2002: Military jet and a passenger plane from Bristol to Newcastle, in near miss eight miles east of Welshpool, in Powys, Wales.
July 2, 2002: RAF heavily criticised after a Jaguar fighter jet comes within 100ft of hitting a passenger plane with 80 North-East passengers on board. It is listed as: “One of the most serious airprox [investigators] had seen.”
May 9, 2002: Military aircraft and passenger plane in airprox five miles from Teesside Airport.
April 22, 2002: Military aircraft and passenger plane in airprox 30 miles north-east of Newcastle airport.
November 27, 2001: RAF Tornado and passenger plane 50ft from crash east of Newcastle. Category A.
September 6, 2001: Three RAF planes nearly collide over Lake Windermere. Category A.
July 3, 2001: Military jet within 500ft of passenger plane inbound from Oslo 60 miles north-east of Newcastle Airport. Category B.
May 14, 2001: Airprox involves Airbus A319 and Fokker 100 over North Sea at 11.55 hours. Category C.
February 14, 2001: A British Airways Boeing 737 leaving Newcastle in potential conflict with a military jet eight miles south-east of airport. Category C – low risk.
October 18, 2000: RAF Hawk crashes at East Kyloe, near Berwick. Crew eject.
March 20, 2000: Near miss between RAF Tornado and a Short 360 Gill Airways jet near Alnwick. Category A.
October 22, 1999: RAF Hawk crashes at Shap, Cumbria, killing its two crew and also narrowly missing a motorist.
October 14, 1999: RAF Tornado crashes at Wallridge, Matfen. Two airmen killed. Minutes earlier it was involved in a near miss with a Boeing 737 at Newcastle Airport.
July 14, 1999: RAF Harrier crashes at Cornhill-on-Tweed. Pilot ejects safely.
December 11, 1998: RAF Harrier misses civilian helicopter at Corbridge, Northumberland, by less than 100ft. Category A – very high risk.
September 22, 1998: Near miss between airliner and RAF Tornado eight miles north-west of Newcastle. Classified as a category B airprox – medium risk.
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