'Malfunctioned' mechanism to blame for Cornwall military exercise incident
Draken - the firm operating the aircraft - have apologised, but it's left the house in Tregaswith needing hefty repairs
We're hearing from the firm who operated the aircraft which dropped debris onto a house in Cornwall, leaving it badly damaged - in an incident described as leaving 'total devastation' in its wake.
It happened in Newquay at around 5pm on Wednesday evening (26 March).
The dummy missile and many metres of cable fell from a training aircraft onto the property after a winch malfunctioned.
The firm tell us they are providing 'full support' to the homeowners.
Read more: Investigations continue after Cornwall house damaged by debris that fell from plane
'Draken is very sorry this incident has occurred'
In a statement, Draken - the firm operating the aircraft - told us: "At approximately 16:00 on Wednesday 26 March one of our aircraft was carrying out a routine exercise over the sea involving towing a target on a cable behind the aircraft.
"The mechanism to control the target cable malfunctioned. The aircraft crew carried out back-up procedures to release the target and cable from the aircraft safely over the sea, which were not successful. Realising they were unable to detach the target the crew contacted Air Traffic Control to declare an emergency and sought to land at the nearest diversion airfield at Cornwall Airport, Newquay.
"During the diversion and on approach to the airport, the cable and target dislodged from the aircraft and landed in a field, regrettably damaging two properties. Fortunately, no one was injured. Draken is very sorry that this incident has occurred and offer our sincere apologies to those affected by it.
"We have been liaising directly with the property owners impacted by this incident and we thank them for their patience and understanding. We are providing full support to ensure that we are minimising the impact of this incident on them.
"We recognise the seriousness of the incident and are working with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigation and the local police while our full internal investigation into the matter continues to ensure that this does not happen again. We have stopped all target towing activity and will not resume until we are satisfied the system is safe to operate."
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