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Barrie Smith's recollection of this accident:

"Dear Alex Park Inn,

"I have been regularly reading and viewing with interest about the varied aircraft incidents your website shows. One in particular brings back memories as I was at the event when the aircraft crashed. So I thought I would share my views of the event."

"I was at the Lowestoft Beach Airshow when the Harrier Jump Jet crashed into the sea. In fact I was only 100 metres along the beach when the air craft hit the sea. The Harrier had arrived about 10 minutes earlier along the coast and was performing a range of manoeuvres and had already performed a hover."

"It was on the second hover when things went wrong. I was sitting down with my son watching the hover when the plane started to descent. My first thoughts were 'That was dangerous',  as he was quite low already. It was only when there was a flash from the ejector seat and then the splash that I realised something had gone seriously wrong."

"Immediately after the crash the 200,000 strong crowd was completely silent. Some people on the beach left immediately, especially those with young children. The rest were completely silent, it was a weird experience."

"For what seemed a long time after the crash none of the nearby rescue boats made any move towards the pilot and the now smoking/steaming harrier. The harrier bobbed up and down in the waves while we could see the pilot moving/swimming away from the aircraft. Then things started to happen and boats moved in. A while later a helicopter arrived and winched the pilot aboard. The next thing that happened was that the helicopter flew up and down the beach with the Harrier pilot (or at least we made to think it was) waving to the crowd. The plan I guess was for the show to continue and it did a short break."

"Regards, 

Barrie Smith UK"