A mid air emergency brought the Red Arrows' airshow to a sudden halt on Sunday (August 28). The anticipated display, at the 2022 Rhyl Air Show, was dramatically stopped after reports a bird had struck one of the jets.
The famous flying troupe took to the air at around 4pm on Sunday, jetting off from Hawarden Airport for a display over the seaside town. Eyewitnesses at the scene said they heard a loud 'pop' around mid way into the display before one aircraft broke ranks and headed back towards Hawarden.
The Rhyl Air Shows' announcer then went on to announce what may have happened during the display, according to North Wales Live. The group were bringing Rhyl Air Show 2022 to a close in the skies as hundreds of people looked on before the incident.
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Addressing the crowd over the speaker system, the announcer said: "(Red Arrows aircraft) 1 through 5 are circling the area at the moment. The reason is to make sure the airfield at Hawarden is completely sanitised and completely dedicated to Red 6 (affected aircraft).
"From what I can hear it sounds as if a bird has impacted its (Red 6's) canopy...this generally means that the bird has gone through the canopy and completely shattered it, which means that what he's actually hearing is the wind rushing through the canopy.
"I can't confirm that so don't start tweeting it, or anything like that cos I don't know, that's my biggest guess. If that's the case it's quite significant for Red 6 because they are listening to air traffic, air traffic can't hear you, which is why 7 is with him and they'll be guided down with him on his wing. The most important part is that it sounds like it didn't go down the engine."
Pictures from afterwards showed a bird had struck the section of the £5m jet's glass cockpit - just above where the pilot sits - at such force that the impact shattered the pane, leaving it with a gaping hole and its pilot exposed to the elements.
Close up pictures of Red 6, taken by photographer @welshiedale2022, show the extent of the damage to the aircraft. All pilots were given a hero's welcome back at Hawarden and treated to a round of applause by bystanders as they disembarked.
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