A Cornish grandmother was ‘mere seconds’ from death when a metal military device fell from a plane and crashed into her house, completely destroying her toilet.
Sue Rundle has lived at her home in Tregaswith, near Saint Columb Major for 26 years without any incident.
But her peace was shattered on Wednesday when the upstairs bathroom in her home suddenly ‘collapsed’ – after a metal object from a military jet crashed through her roof, smashed through a wall, and destroyed her toilet.
A second item, which Sue describes as a ‘big piece of plastic like a dummy missile’ landed in a tree nearby.
Pictures from the scene show damage to the walls in Sue’s bathroom and a huge hole in her ceiling and toilet.
American provider of tactical fighter aircraft Draken took responsibility for the incident, saying they had been performing a training exercise nearby when the crew suffered a malfunction and made for Cornwall Airport Newquay.
They were flying over Sue’s house when the malfunction worsened, spelling disaster for the grandmother-of-two’s bathroom.
Sue said: ‘It was lucky. I was about to go into the hallway when I heard tiles coming off the roof.
Sue Rundle has lived at her home in Tregaswith, near Saint Columb Major for 26 years without any incident
Her toilet has been almost totally destroyed, and there is a large hole in her roof
‘I came in then everything in the upstairs bathroom collapsed. It was just mere seconds. Just seconds.’
The incident happened at 4pm on Wednesday when the object, believed to be a ‘very heavy piece of lead’, less than a foot long and about four inches wide but ‘weighing a tonne’ fell from the sky.
Draken has taken responsibility for the incident. It acknowledged the severity of what happened and is liaising with those affected.
An investigation has been launched by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) following the incident. Draken boss Nic Anderson has apologised and said the company has stopped all towing activity for the time being.
Mr Anderson said: ‘At approximately 4pm on Wednesday, March 26, 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 backup 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.
American provider of tactical fighter aircraft Draken took responsibility for the incident, saying they had been performing a training exercise nearby when the crew suffered a malfunction and made for Cornwall Airport Newquay
Draken boss Nic Anderson has apologised and said the company has stopped all towing activity for the time being
Devon and Cornwall Police said officers attended the incident at Mrs Rundle’s home alongside Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service
‘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.’
Devon and Cornwall Police said officers attended the incident at Mrs Rundle’s home alongside Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.
She said that she has never been worried about living under the flightpath of Newquay Airport. She added: ‘You get used to living under the flight path. You see all the military planes and the easyJet ones. You can almost set your clock by them.
‘I don’t want to blame the military or anyone. They have a job to do. This was just a freak accident and everyone has been very lovely, supportive and helpful.’
Mrs Rundle said it is too early to put a price tag on the repair that will need to be made to her walls and roof and bathroom but all parties involved in the incident and her home insurance are working on it.
A spokesperson for Newquay Airport said: ‘Yesterday, Cornwall Airport Newquay safely accommodated the landing of a military aircraft needing to abort an exercise.
‘The aircraft, which was engaged in a training operation, followed standard procedures and landed without incident.
‘Safety is always our top priority, and today’s successful handling of the situation is a testament to the professionalism of our team and demonstrates the airport’s capability to handle a range of aviation scenarios.’