Twenty-eight years ago this week two planes crashed in the sky above RAF Fairford.

Two MiG-29s were performing a display as part of the 1993 Royal International Air Tattoo.

The Russian jet fighters were performing loops when disaster struck and they crashed into each other.

Footage of the incident shows one of the aircraft immediately bursting into flames and crashing to the ground, with the other plane coming down shortly afterwards.

Fortunately, both pilots were able to eject, release their parachutes and land on the ground.

Neither of them, nor any of the spectators or staff nearby, suffered serious injuries.

The episode is now a fixture of Fairford folklore. An often repeated story is how one of the Russian pilots lit up a cigarette immediately after landing, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Another tale is that one of the pilots threw a punch at the other, blaming them for the crash. Others believe this to be a myth however.

Cotswold Journal:

Photos kindly provided by the Gloucestershire Police Archives. For more about Gloucestershire's policing history visit gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk.