‘Weston Hills could have been another Lockerbie’

The military jet crash in Weston Hills could easily have been another Lockerbie, it has been claimed.

Janet Prescott, who watched the doomed plane and another jet “dogfighting” above her home for half an hour, said it was “pure luck rather than judgement” that it did not hit houses and the village school as it spiralled to the ground.

She said: “From what I saw that was not a controlled crash.

“That plane was completely out of control and wasn’t manned for the last mile it was flying.

“When it lands so close to a school and so close to houses, that, for me, is a major concern.

“It could have taken any number of houses out. Weston Hills could have been another Lockerbie.”

Other residents reported seeing the pilot eject some distance from where the plane eventually nosedived into a field and witnessed him descend “through the clouds”.

Eyewitness reports also suggest the plane may have lost an engine and started “flying backwards”, before flipping end over end and spiralling to the ground.

MP John Hayes, who was driving close to the scene when the crash happened last Wednesday, urged residents not to panic, saying military aircraft training had been taking place over the district for generations, but said he had been asked to be kept informed of findings into the cause of the crash.

He said: “My priority is for the safety and security of my constituents so I want to know what lessons can be learned and if any steps need to be taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

“Because it crash landed so close to the school and nursery I am sure it will be worrying people, but we have had planes flying over for as long as anyone can remember so we just need to make sure it is being done properly and safely.”

Mrs Prescott called for a serious review of the military aircraft activity in the area following the accident.

She said: “If they continue to dogfight over the village, who says it won’t happen again? It’s an accident waiting to happen.”