AN RAF jet crashed into a hillside in Dumfries and Galloway - an area which is often used by the RAF for low-flying exercises.
The #20m single-seat Harrier GR7 jet, which was based at RAF Laarbruch in Germany and operating out of RAF Honington in Suffolk, was believed to have been flying in a formation of four when it crashed near Airieland, Farm on the outskirts of Gelston, near Castle Douglas. The pilot ejected safely.
The RAF said last night it was not known if the aircraft was flying at low altitude but sources said early indications were that it was not and that the accident could have been caused by a bird-strike.
It was the second Harrier to crash in the past fortnight.
One based at RAF Wittering in Yorkshire, crashed near the airfield on May 19. Its pilot also ejected safely.
An RAF spokesman said the plane did not crash near buildings and there were no people in the area.
The pilot walked to a farmhouse and was picked up by a Royal Navy Sea King rescue helicopter from HMS Gannet, near Prestwick, and taken to Newcastle General Hospital for tests.
Debris from the aircraft set nearby grass and roughland on fire but firefighters managed to beat most of it out. Heather Park who lives at Airieland Cottage, Gelston, about 600 yards from the scene, said: ''The jets were screaming over all day. They were involved in dog fights and it was terribly noisy. I never saw the actual crash although I saw the jet going past. I heard a terrible bang and saw the smoke pouring into the sky.
''Then I heard a funny noise and saw the parachute coming down with the pilot. He seemed to be all right.''
One of the rescue team who spoke to the pilot said: ''His main concern was to ensure the plane was clear of houses before ejecting. He managed to bring it down into a wooded area.''
The pilot walked to Over Linkins farm where farmer Dorothy Blair made him a cup of tea. She said: ''He was rather shaken but uninjured. He was here for almost an hour and was then taken off to hospital by a rescue helicopter."
Dumfries and Galloway's depute convener Denis Male last night called for an urgent meeting with local MPs and the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Male, chairman of the Inter-Authority Low Flying Committee formed by councils and bodies in South Scotland and North England, said: ''This strengthens our case for urgent action. There is a tragedy waiting to happen. This could have been the middle of a town.''
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