Harrier recovery may be abandoned

The harrier went down about a mile off the north Devon coast

A £20m Royal Navy harrier jet which crashed into the sea off the north Devon coast may not now be recovered.

The aircraft, which was based at RNAS Yeovilton in Somerset, went down on 11 June around a mile off Lee Bay, near Ilfracombe.

Divers on a survey vessel have been working at the site for three weeks, using underwater cameras to help them find the wreckage.

But they now say the wreckage has broken into smaller pieces than first thought.

A spokesman for the air base said a lengthy recovery may prove too costly and could be called off.

Crash inquiry

The plane was on a flight from RAF St Athan, south Wales, where it had undergone maintenance, when it crashed.

The pilot was picked up within minutes of the crash by an RAF Sea King helicopter from the nearby base at Chivenor.

A board of inquiry will now have to determine what caused the crash.

Investigators will have to base their judgement on the pilot's report and any wreckage that is recovered.