Red Arrows Jets Cleared To Fly After Crash

The Hawk T1 jets - used by the Red Arrows - have been cleared to start flying again as the investigation continues into the deadly crash that led to the fleet being grounded.

Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, 33, was killed when his aircraft plunged to the ground near Bournemouth Airport in Dorset on Saturday.

He and his fellow Red Arrows pilots had just completed a formation display over the town's seafront.

The RAF grounded all 126 of its Hawk T1s, which are also used to train fast-jet pilots, while preliminary investigations were carried out into the cause of the tragedy.

But the Ministry of Defence confirmed there were no wider safety concerns about the aircraft.

However, it is not yet known when the Red Arrows planes will start performing in air shows again.

Meanwhile, a photograph apparently showing a mystery bright light underneath a Red Arrows jet before the deadly crash has been passed to the investigation team.

The picture was reportedly taken around 30 seconds before Flt Lt Egging's jet came down.

Dorset Police said the pilot was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had apparently steered the plane - Red 4 - away from homes in a nearby village.

The image shows a light at a jet's rear after the RAF's world famous acrobatic team completed a display.

The picture was taken by photographer and military aviation enthusiast, Ryan Money, 25, who claims he has taken about 1,500 photographs of Red Arrows planes over the years.

He said it "looks like a small explosion" and an "engine blow out".

There have also been suggestions the flash may have been due to a reflection or a strobe light fitted underneath the aircraft.

But one former RAF pilot told Sky News Online it looked "bigger than a strobe light".

He said in the picture the pilot "hasn't lost any speed and (the light) is not causing him any problems. There's no smoke coming out.

He added: "That light could be the start of something."

He also said the plane was in the Red 4 position but the Ministry of Defence has not confirmed that the jet in the picture was the stricken aircraft.

Mr Money did not think the light was due to a reflection: "If there is reflection on one (plane) it will appear on others like on the wing tip. The plane was flying over a cornfield."

After the crash, the pilot's wife Emma said: "Jon was everything to those that knew him, and he was the best friend and husband I could ever have wished for.

"I know that he would have wanted me to say something from the heart at this time. There was nothing bad about Jon. He loved his job and was an exemplary pilot.

"Watching him today, I was the proudest I've ever been. I loved everything about him, and he will be missed."

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said the inquiry is being carried out by the Military Air Accident Investigation Branch. She added: "The photograph has been passed to the inquiry team."