Mystery Planes Over North London Cause “Twitter Meltdown”

If you were looking into the night sky yesterday evening, you may have seen something unusual.

At around 8pm, many in North London and Hertfordshire reported seeing three planes – one larger one flanked by two smaller ones – flying overhead and circling around a number of times. With the tenth anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday, it is not surprising that the social network was soon aflame with possible explanations, some more serious than others.

Sky News reported a “twitter meltdown” as comedian Matt Rudge pointed the finger at Air Force One or Gaddafi and others suggested technical faults, terrorism, diversions or that the aircraft were two fighter jets accompanying a commercial flight.

Other planespotters thought it might be Lear jets, the Queen’s Flight, VIP transport planes on a training exercise or the airshow today at Hendon.

We await the official facts behind these mysterious planes.

Picture (c) Steven Kelly

  • Paul C

    I’ve some film of the planes last night. Visit http://www.paulcolemanslondon.blogspot.com

  • AboutLondon

    What about the fireworks over east London last night. Was it filming in Hackney Wick? Something for Westfield Stratford City? Something at the Olympic Park? Really, what was going on? It was so loud!

  • http://twitter.com/marcuseast Marcus East

    Does anyone have an explanation, yet?

  • Silk

    All three are from RAF Northolt – its a BAE 146 (yes the one the Queen uses)  I see them daily as I live right by the base 

  • Silk

    All three are from RAF Northolt – its a BAE 146 (yes the one the Queen uses)  I see them daily as I live right by the base 

  • Silk

    All three are from RAF Northolt – its a BAE 146 (yes the one the Queen uses)  I see them daily as I live right by the base 

  • Dfstuckey

    Yes a BAE 146 and two old Hawker Siddley a25s. Probably of Purple Flight. Is no-one in London a planespotter anymore?

  • Maenad Blog

    there are some planes turning over Islington as I type, all quite unusual. VIP arrivals for commemoration ceremonies? …

  • http://boxbinary.com Alex Norcliffe

    According to this Daily Mail article (and thus, possibly a complete fabrication) there are three planes from RAF Northolt which patrol for surveillance purposes (midway through the text) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268535/Superspy-sky-soon-patrolling-British-cities-search-hidden-terror-cells.html presumably because having the most CCTV installations per capita in the world isn’t enough…

  • http://twitter.com/mild_swearwords Malcolm Murdoch

    Surely something to do with the arms show?

    Probably Assad flying in to buy some water cannon?

  • TJ

    This just happened in west london