Harrier jet crashes into field, narrowly missing village houses seconds after pilot ejects

As an investigation began into the loss of the latest Harrier, witnesses said it appeared the pilot had stayed with the plane until the final moments to ensure it avoided homes.

He landed by parachute near the scene at Ashwell, Rutland, and is being treated at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre for spinal injuries which are not said to be life threatening.

An RAF pilot is in hospital after ejecting from his burning Harrier jet just seconds before it crashed in a village field (file picture)

The £20million Harrier GR7A, which was not carrying weapons, is thought to have developed a fault minutes after leaving its base at RAF Cottesmore.

It had been taking part in a training operation with several other Harriers prior to deployment to Afghanistan where the jets support British and U.S. troops battling the Taliban.

One villager, James Patrick, 87, said: 'I was sitting out in the garden when I saw the aircraft coming over the trees by the church.

'It went down just past the church - and there was a thump and a huge cloud of smoke. The next thing I saw was a parachutist coming down.'

The Rutland village of Ashwell, next to which the Harrier jet crashed, has a population of around 200 and is surrounded by farmland

Another resident added: 'Some people saw the plane come down in a ball of flame and the pilot ejecting seconds before it hit the ground.

'The first I knew about it was when I saw the black smoke. Then we heard lots of sirens and saw helicopters flying all around the village.

'Everyone is just relieved that nobody has been hurt. I dread to think what would have happened if it had crashed into the houses.'

Fellow villager, Vic Harrison, 73, said: 'I thought the pilot didn't stand a chance, but then I looked up and saw his parachute. I really thought he had hit the houses. It was a narrow miss - it must have been 400 metres from our house.'

The crash is the latest involving a Harrier. Two years ago a GR9 from Cottesmore crashed near Oxford and four years earlier two Harriers were lost in separate crashes.

An RAF spokeswoman confirmed the pilot ejected with a parachute and was taken to hospital after being found 'conscious' nearby.

She added: 'The Harrier came down near the airfield. We had an incident team at the site with seven minutes of the ejection notice.'