Night Training Flight Crash at RAF Bircham Newton (K6185)

What happened

The incident occurred during a night training flight operating out of RAF Bircham Newton. While executing the final approach phase, the aircraft was flying at an altitude that was too low for the conditions. This resulted in the airframe colliding with trees situated in a field located just short of the runway threshold. The impact caused the aircraft to crash, leading to significant structural damage that rendered it beyond repair. Both members of the flight crew sustained injuries as a result of the accident.

Findings

Official investigations identified the primary contributing factor as the approach being conducted at an insufficient altitude during night operations. The low trajectory prevented the crew from avoiding terrain obstacles, specifically the trees near the runway end.