Sheffield residents spot 'dangerously low' plane in the sky - this is why it was there

At around 8pm on Thursday, residents were shocked to see a huge low-flying plane flying over the city.

Some eye-witnesses said the plane was so low they could ‘see the pilot’s eyes’.

Residents in Beighton, Aston, Catcliffe, Halfway, Waterthorpe, Dronfield and Chesterfield all spotted the plane with some estimated it was flying as low as 1000ft.

The plane in question was a Boeing 727-2S2F, flying from Lasham Airfiled in Hampshire before landing at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

There are two aircrafts which have the capacity to respond to oil spills where they may occur in the world.

The planes are filled with internal tanks, pumps and a spray boom to deliver dispersant liquid.

The first aircraft, G-OSRA, is now stationed at Robin Hood Airport; ready to respond to incidents anywhere in the world within a four-hour notice. The second aircraft, G-OSRB, ha also been readied for service and is also stationed at Rthe airport.

They are flown by specialist crews and approved to fly at 150ft by the UK CAA.