Newcastle - Two airmen died yesterday and a van driver had a miraculous escape after an RAF jet hit a building and a railway bridge before crashing and disintegrating.
The pilot and co-pilot of the Hawk were killed as it came down near the village of Shap in Cumbria, while the 38-year-old van driver suffered only minor burns when his cab roof was crushed by debris from the plane and wreckage from the bridge.
Last night the pilot of the stricken aircraft was hailed a hero after residents said he appeared to steer the aircraft away from the village centre rather than eject.