Disappointment as iconic Battle of Britain memorial flight beloved by The Queen is cancelled amid investigation into fatal crash: Lancaster bombers, Spitfires and Hurricanes will NOT fly to mark 80 years since D-Day

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) craft are 'not expected' to alert successful D-Day commemorations. 

The celebration, loved by the Queen, has been canceled pursuing an probe into the decease of a aviator successful a Spitfire crash, the RAF has said.

Squadron Leader Mark Long was killed erstwhile the Spitfire helium was flying crashed successful a tract adjacent RAF Coningsby successful Lincolnshire.

Police and exigency services rushed to the country connected Langrick Road conscionable earlier 1.20pm connected Saturday but Mr Long was declared dormant astatine the scene.

Mr Long's household said helium 'lived his beingness with an unwavering passion' and 'will beryllium cherished and profoundly missed' successful a statement.

An RAF spokesperson said earlier this week that a impermanent intermission was successful spot portion an probe into the incidental is ongoing.

RAF bosses said their Spitfires, a Lancaster bomber and different wartime planes would stay grounded adjacent week.

They had been owed to play a cardinal relation successful the 80th day commemorations of the landings.

Senior officials said the determination was taken ‘regretfully’ but that the origin of past weekend’s clang remained chartless and it would beryllium excessively risky to alert the different historical aircraft. 

Flypasts astatine the Trooping the Colour besides stay successful doubt.

The crashed Spitfire was portion of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which had been owed to execute astatine events successful Portsmouth and successful France adjacent week.

The 80-year-old level crashed soon aft taking disconnected from RAF Coningsby In Lincolnshire connected Saturday, sidesplitting aviator Squadron Leader Mark Long, a joined begetter of two.

An probe has begun into the origin of the crash, but has yet to pinpoint what went wrong.

It is understood elder defence officials ruled the full BBMF fleet should stay grounded portion the probe continued, due to the fact that of the imaginable hazard to pilots and nationalist safety.

The BBMF has 5 different Spitfire fighters, 2 Hurricane fighters, 1 Lancaster bomber, 2 Dakota transport planes and 2 post-war Chipmunk trainers. It had not been announced which of the craft would person taken portion successful adjacent week’s 80th day events, including a flypast implicit the ferry taking veterans to France

On Friday, the RAF said the origin of the incidental 'remains unknown', truthful a determination has been made to proceed the intermission successful flying for the BBMF.

As a result, BBMF craft are not expected to beryllium capable to enactment successful the D-Day 80 commemorations connected June 5 and 6.

An RAF spokesperson said: 'On May 25 2024 a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) crashed successful the vicinity of RAF Coningsby, resulting successful the tragic decease of the pilot, Sqn Ldr Mark Long.

'The Defence Air Investigation Branch (DAIB) are continuing their investigation.

'At this stage, the origin of the incidental remains chartless and therefore, aft extended consultation betwixt the Chief of the Air Staff and applicable elder RAF officers, it has been decided to proceed the intermission successful flying for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF).

'As always, formation information remains the RAF's superior concern, truthful BBMF flying volition lone resume erstwhile it is harmless and due to bash so.

'As a result, regretfully, BBMF craft are not expected to beryllium capable to enactment successful the forthcoming D-Day 80 commemorations implicit June 5-6 2024.'

RAF Coningsby is location to the BBMF, a postulation of wartime combatant and bomber craft that instrumentality portion successful aerial shows and memorial displays.

Only a fewer twelve airworthy Spitfires remain, including six that beryllium to the BBMF.

Tributes to Mr Long person besides flooded successful from The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour person Sir Keir Starmer.

And connected Tuesday, Typhoon craft from RAF Lossiemouth flew successful 'missing man' enactment to retrieve their erstwhile colleague.

At the clip of his death, Mr Long was successful his 4th play with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Officer Commanding Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Squadron Leader Mark Sugden, said: 'In life, we are occasionally privileged to conscionable unthinkable radical similar Mark.

'Mark touched the hearts of everyone that helium met, ever prioritising the needs of others earlier himself.

'The epitome of a subject combatant pilot, helium personified the precise champion of the Royal Air Force and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

'We were fortunate to person him arsenic portion of the squad and portion of our BBMF family.

Squadron Leader Long, 43, had conscionable taken disconnected from RAF Coningsby erstwhile helium sent a ‘Mayday’ connection implicit his radio, the astir terrible distress message. 

Sources said his craft crashed astir a infinitesimal aft take-off and that helium could not person escaped successful time. He died astatine the scene.

The Spitfire – a Mk IX built successful 1944, was progressive successful D-Day and changeable down an force craft – was overhauled during the wintertime and had been signed disconnected arsenic harmless to fly.

 Mr Long was calved successful Bury St Edmunds and graduated Initial Officer Training successful 2003.

He was past sent to RAF Linton-on-Ouse to alert the Tucano craft earlier gaining his 'wings' successful 2003.

His Advanced Flying Training was connected the Hawk and helium was selected to instrumentality connected the relation of an instructor.

Mr Long aboriginal converted to the Harrier GR7/9 and was posted to RAF Cottesmore, Rutland.

In 2012, Mr Long joined the Typhoon Force and was assigned to RAF Coningsby.

In 2016, helium was the Typhoon Display Pilot and his superior relation was to thatch pupil pilots however to run the jet.

The MoD said that alongside his instructional duties, Mr Long besides helped support UK sovereign airspace by undertaking Quick Reaction Alert duties successful the UK, Falkland Islands and portion connected Baltic Air Policing Operations successful Lithuania.

The clang was the archetypal fatality involving a BBMF craft since its instauration successful July 1957. Its ngo is to support the historical craft successful airworthy information to commemorate those killed successful the work of the country, and to animate aboriginal generations. 

To commemorate Mr Long 3 Typhoon jets person performed a peculiar flypast.

Typhoon craft from RAF Lossiemouth flew successful 'missing man' enactment to retrieve their erstwhile workfellow yesterday.

The basal shared the clip to X with the caption: 'In remembrance of Squadron Leader Mark Long. Per ardua advertisement astra [through adversity to the stars - motto of the RAF].'

Sqn Ldr Long had flown Typhoons excessively - astatine RAF Coningsby - and took to Instagram conscionable weeks earlier the memorial amusement to stock his excitement.

In a station dated March 4, the Squadron Leader shared videos of Hurricane and Spitfire aeroplanes successful formation with the caption: 'We are lone a fewer weeks distant from getting backmost flying successful these iconic aircraft. Cannot wait!!!'.

Flowers person been laid astatine RAF Coningsby successful the days since by dozens of aerial enthusiasts, including Tony who said: 'A Hurricane was going to instrumentality disconnected aft the Spitfire but his formation was aborted.

'It is excessively hard to estimation the speed.

'I couldn't intelligibly spot the spot it came down but pictures amusement it was close beside a location and a tractor truthful nary uncertainty different radical witnessed it too. It is simply a unspeakable tragedy.'

The man, who lives locally, told however helium often took his stepson to ticker the planes successful enactment astatine the airfield.

He paid lukewarm tribute to the aviator arsenic a 'remarkable and fantastic man' and thrilled children with his 'pep talks.'

He recalled: 'At the extremity of a formation Mark would ever marque a constituent of coming up to the large ligament obstruction and springiness the kids a pep speech done it.

'He'd inactive beryllium successful his uniform, and he'd inactive person his formation maps pinned to his trousers, supra the knees and would walk them to the children done the fence.

'I didn't cognize him personally but I knew him by estimation arsenic a large aviator and a singular and fantastic man.

'He ever made clip to talk to radical truthful I had to travel present contiguous to wage my respects.

'He told the kids that it was imagination to go a aviator but helium had failed 4 oregon 5 times.

'His connection to them was ne'er to springiness up and that you tin ever unrecorded your dream.

'It is specified a unspeakable calamity that it was to extremity successful this mode for him.'