A significant incident involving a military aircraft occurred on Wednesday at approximately 5 pm in Tregaswith, located near the Cornwall Airport Newquay runway, leaving a local resident with extensive property damage and emotional distress. Sue Rundle, a 71-year-old woman, was preparing to leave her home when she heard what she initially thought was slates falling from her roof. However, the situation quickly escalated, revealing itself to be a severe accident involving debris from the aircraft.
Upon investigating the source of the noise, Mrs Rundle discovered that her toilet had been completely smashed, and there were "big holes" in both her bathroom wall and ceiling. Describing her experience, she stated, "I heard slates falling and I shut the door and came back in and then I heard this almighty crashing upstairs and I actually thought the whole house was falling down." The emotional impact of this incident has left her feeling "devastated, traumatised and in shock," as she confronted the significant damage caused to her property.
In a statement, Mrs Rundle reflected on the potential severity of the situation, indicating that if she had been in the bathroom at the time, the outcome could have been fatal. She explained, "Because the debris was on the roof and slates were falling off the roof and I'd got old granite slates not roof tiles and they are very heavy. If they had hit me on the head the outcome would have come very different."
The incident has sparked discussions about safety regulations regarding military flight paths over residential areas. Mrs Rundle mentioned she had grown accustomed to aircraft flying overhead over the last 26 years, stating, "I love to see the planes - they were never a problem." However, she expressed concerns regarding the circumstances of the flight, stating, "you do not expect a plane to come knowing that it has got a cable dangling, knowing that it is too low and there are questions to be answered because it should have been diverted."
The debris causing the damage was identified as a "target on a cable" that was being towed by the aircraft. Nic Anderson, CEO of Draken, the company operating the military plane, acknowledged the incident, expressing regret over the consequences of what he termed an "incredibly serious accident" that took place during a "routine exercise" with the Royal Navy. Anderson explained that the crew had experienced a malfunction in the mechanism that controlled the release of the cable. He detailed the crew's emergency response, stating, "In that case, the crew followed the procedures and declared an emergency to seek the nearest airport to divert to."
As a result of the incident, Mrs Rundle will need to refit her entire upstairs bathroom, although she is fortunate to have an alternative bathroom available on the ground floor of her home.
Source: Noah Wire Services