Royal Air Force plane declares emergency as it flies over Lincolnshire

George Bunn
Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:57:38 +0000

An RAF plane has declared an emergency over the skies near an RAF base in Lincolnshire.

The Boeing Poseidon MRA1 (P-8A) has declared an 7700 code over the near RAF Cranwell.

The code refers to a general emergency transponder code in aviation, signaling that a pilot requires immediate assistance or priority handling,

An RAF spokesman confirmed the flight declared an issue on board and returned to base safely.

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An MoD spokesman told GB News: "The aircraft in question had a technical issue that required it to return to base, which it did and it subsequently landed safely.

"Any aircraft that has an issue in flight will Squawk 7700 to ensure it has the attention of Air Traffic Control and clear a path for it to transit to either the nearest suitable diversion or its base.

"In this case the aircraft reported a technical problem and as a precaution returned to base where it landed safely."