An RAF jet was steered to “avoid built-up areas” before two pilots ejected out of the aircraft, an RAF commander has said.

Gp Capt Gez Currie, Station Commander, said: “The aircraft would have been aimed in a direction that the pilot believed was open field, in order to avoid built-up areas and anybody on the ground.”

The Hawk T2 aircraft had been flying out of the RAF Valley station on Anglesey on Wednesday when it plummeted to the ground in the nearby Pencarnisiog area.

The trainee and an experienced professional, who parachuted out of their plane moments before it crashed, are expected to make a full recovery after they were treated for minor injuries.

Hawk operations have been paused by the RAF as a “precautionary measure” while investigations into the crash are ongoing – the Red Arrows are included in the pause as the aerobatics display team use the T1.

Currie said the pilots were in hospital being cared for and were with their families.

He would not give personal details about them and said the investigation was in its early stages, adding “it’s far too early to even suggest what has happened in this occasion”.

He said: “It was a trainee, with a highly experienced instructor on a routine sortie, across the Anglesey area.”

According to the Ministry of Defence, a sortie is “one mission, one complete trip”.

He added that in the two-and-a-half years as station commander, and in his 30-year career as an air traffic controller, “this is the first time I’ve experienced this”.

A video of the crash shared on social media on Wednesday appeared to show the two pilots ejecting from the aircraft before it nosedives and crashes in flames.

The footage shows a plume of smoke and fire erupting as the aircraft hits the ground, appearing to narrowly miss homes.

In a statement on social media, the RAF said: “Both pilots are doing well, they are in extremely good spirits and expected to make a full recovery.

“A formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is now under way and, as a precautionary measure, the RAF has temporarily paused Hawk T1 and Hawk T2 flying operations.”

The Hawk T1, and newer T2 versions are transonic, two-seat training aircrafts used to train fast jet pilots.

The Red Arrows, based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, are included in the pause, however they were not due to fly again until Le Touquet Airshow in France this weekend in any event. It is not known when the restriction will be lifted.