Bird Bests Hawk: Uninjured Pilot Lands Safely

The British Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows aerobatic team was forced to cut short its performance at the Rhyl Air Show on 28 August 2022 when squadron leader Gregor Ogston was forced to break away from a formation after a bird impacted and shattered the canopy of his BAE Hawk T1A aircraft.

Witnesses on the ground reported hearing a “loud pop” as bird and plane collided. Video images of the incident depict the crimson jet passing through a small constellation of aircraft debris and bloodied feathers with Ogston hunkered down behind the remains of his canopy.

Ogston—who proceeded away from the airshow accompanied by a Red Arrow teammate and landed safely at Hawarden Airport near the English city of Chester—was praised by his commanding officer, who said the pilot’s actions had been "delivered calmly and correctly,” thereby ensuring the safety of his fellow aviators and the crowd gathered below.

Following the bird strike, a spokesman for the Red Arrows team stated: “Thank you to everyone at this weekend’s Rhyl Airshow. We had to finish the Red Arrows display a few minutes early after one of our jets suffered a bird strike, damaging the cockpit canopy. This type of incident is not uncommon in aviation and is extremely well-trained for. In this instance, Red 6 [Ogston] and the whole team responded perfectly together, with no further risk to the pilot and aircraft. Happy to report the jet landed safely and the pilot is unhurt. Thank you for all of the well-wishes and many messages of support, asking about the pilot.”

Upon returning to Hawarden Airport, the remainder of the Red Arrows team was afforded a warm welcome by airfield personnel who applauded enthusiastically as the airmen disembarked their aircraft.

The damaged Hawk jet, valued at approximately five-million British pounds, is expected to remain at Hawarden where it will undergo inspections and repairs before rejoining the team at their RAF Scampton base in Lincolnshire.

Small but capable, BAE’s Hawk is powered by a single Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 861 turbofan producing 5,700-lbf of thrust. The engine motivates the 8,000-pound (empty weight) aircraft to a training-friendly 0.84 Mach. The Hawk T1As flown by the Red Arrows are powered by the slightly less vigorous Rolls Royce Adour Mk 151, the 5,200-lbf thrust of which is adequate for aerobatic flying—if not combat.

The U.S. Navy’s T-45 Goshawk training aircraft is a highly modified, radar-equipped, reshod, tail-hook-toting, carrier qualified, iteration of BEA’s Hawk 60.

FMI:www.raf.mod.uk