Red Arrows crash victim had been in Yorkshire display

Flt Lt Egging’s Hawk T1 aircraft plunged to the ground during the Bournemouth Air Show on Saturday after the team had completed a display over the town’s seafront.

Reports suggested he guided the plane away from houses and people before it smashed into the field and came to a standstill with its nose in the River Stour.

Dorset Police said the gifted 33-year-old pilot known as “Eggman”, who flew in Whitby last Monday, had been thrown from the aircraft and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Yesterday tributes poured in for Flt Lt Egging, of Rutland, who was selected to join the Red Arrows last year after joining the RAF in 2000.

His wife, Dr Emma Egging, said she was “the proudest I’ve ever been” after watching his performance in the skies above the seaside resort, moments before his death.

She added: “Jon was everything to those that knew him, and he was the best friend and husband I could ever have wished for.

“I know that he would have wanted me to say something from the heart at this time.

“There was nothing bad about Jon. He loved his job and was an exemplary pilot.

“I loved everything about him, and he will be missed.”

Colleagues described the 33-year-old as a “true team player” and “gifted aviator”.

Meanwhile, tributes from the public were being laid at various sites near the crash scene.

The Red Arrows, along with the rest of the RAF’s Hawk T1 fleet, have been grounded while investigators try to establish the cause of the crash.