A FLIGHT of Britain’s Red Arrows came within two seconds of a catastrophic high-speed collision with a light aircraft being flown by an instructor and his pupil, an official report has revealed.

The near-miss happened as five Hawks from the famous RAF display team were practising a maneuver close to their base at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire.

The jets were flying at 572 kmph when an air traffic controller radioed a warning about a Cessna 152 flying “very close” to them.

A report by the U.K. Airprox Board which investigates near misses said the lead Red Arrows pilot initially delayed a “vertical break” left turn while looking out for the Cessna.

The pilot said he adjusted his eyes to the glare of the “low-lying sun” while climbing to 1,700 feet with his formation behind him to avoid a mid-air collision.

He only saw the two-seater Cessna “slightly below” the formation and to the left as they soared over it just before 4 p.m. Feb. 7 this year.

The pilot estimated that the civilian aircraft was just 300 feet beneath him, but radar records later showed that it was 500 feet under his jet.

The Cessna was about 1,000 feet away horizontally – only two seconds’ flying time. The near-miss happened in unrestricted airspace just outside an area around Scampton where other aircraft are prohibited from flying when the Red Arrows are training.

The Cessna instructor was on a cross-country exercise when his student suddenly alerted him to “traffic in the two o’clock position.” The report said: “He looked and saw the Red Arrows slightly above. They seemed to be in a slow left turn, he presumed to return to their designated practice area.”  (SD-Agencies)