TWO RAF training aircraft came close to colliding as they flew over the East Coast Main Line at Topcliffe, near Thirsk, a report has revealed.

A Tucano pilot travelling at almost 150mph passed less than 10ft above and within 100ft horizontally of another machine after taking off from the RAF relief landing ground at Topcliffe.

Neither member of crew in the second Tucano, which was flying upside-down at the time of the incident, were aware of the near-miss until they returned to RAF Linton-on-Ouse.

The incident, which occurred as the two pilots followed the railway line towards each other at about 2,000ft, has been categorised as a class A degree of risk, the highest possible level.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman told the Evening Press this was the first time Tucanos flying from Linton-on-Ouse and Topcliffe had been involved in a near-miss.

He said: "There has been no previous indication that there could be a problem until this incident happened.

"When it did, following consultation at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, arrival and departure procedures at Topcliffe have been reviewed and modified to ensure greater distances between aircraft." He added: "We are aware of the risks associated with flight safety and it continues to be a high priority. We study lessons learned from these reports and take appropriate action."

The incident, in March last year, was revealed in an independent report that analyses all "airprox" - or near-miss - incidents that took place between January 2002 and June 2002. An investigation board found that an actual risk of collision had occurred and blames the incident on a non-sighting by one crew, which included a trainee pilot, and a late sighting by the other.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said the report found there had been an overall reduction in the number of near-misses involving commercial and military aircraft.

A total of 92 near-misses were recorded in the skies over the UK in the first six months of 2002.

Only 20 per cent of these involved military aircraft, while 44 per cent involved civilian aircraft.

Updated: 10:31 Thursday, April 03, 2003