Now we expect answers, says son of soldier killed in 1994 Chinook crash

The son of a serviceman killed in the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash has said the families of the victims “expect answers” ahead of a historic first meeting with ministers.

All 29 military and intelligence personnel on board RAF Chinook ZD576 were killed when the aircraft crashed in foggy weather while flying from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness on June 2, 1994.

The bereaved families on Monday published 225 new questions about the circumstances leading up to the crash, including how and why the “unairworthy” aircraft was chosen for the journey and why “key technical documents” were withheld from multiple inquiries.

They come on top of 110 questions that were published previously, meaning the families are now seeking answers to a total of 335 questions about the crash.

The latest questions come ahead of the families’ meeting with government ministers on Tuesday amid growing calls for a fresh judge-led inquiry and for the release of documents relating to the crash that have been sealed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) until 2094.

The families are also calling for the incident to be the test case for the new Hillsborough Law currently making its way through Parliament, which places a new duty of candour on public bodies.

A petition launched by the families’ Chinook Justice Campaign has been signed by more than 51,000 people and MPs raised the issue during a debate in the House of Commons last month.

David Hill, a former MoD aeronautical engineer and technical adviser to the Chinook Justice Campaign, said: “These 225 new questions destroy the argument that there is nothing left to uncover.

“Together with the original 110, they expose how essential evidence was concealed from previous inquiries and demonstrate that the MoD has never provided full transparency into the circumstances that led to the deaths of 25 senior intelligence experts and four Special Forces crew.

“The suggestion that no new facts will be uncovered is a deliberate misrepresentation to cover up past wrongdoing.”

Many of the 335 questions are based on leaked MoD technical files, internal memos and assessments, with the Chinook Justice Campaign saying expert analysis has shown the details of how and why the aircraft was authorised remain hidden.

The questions include who authorised the mission, why the Chinook Mark 2 was accepted “off contract without certification” in breach of MoD rules and whether the crew or passengers were informed of the risks.

Andy Tobias, who was just eight years old when his father Lieutenant Colonel John Tobias was killed in the crash, said the 335 questions are “certainly not definitive”.

“They are not all we need answered and the files that are closed for 100 years are only some of the papers we want released,” he said.

“What this long list makes clear, however, is that it is simply untenable for ministers to say there is nothing new to learn.

“We want full transparency, full candour and to finally start getting to the full truth.

“We expect nothing less from our meeting with ministers tomorrow.”

He added: “We have already built up an unsavoury treasure trove of MoD documents, test pilot warnings and evidence withheld from earlier investigations which prove my father and 28 others were put on an aircraft the MoD knew to be unairworthy.

“This is not my opinion. These are facts the Ministry of Defence either ignored, buried or refused to disclose. We have been forced to fight for the truth for 31 years.

“Now we expect answers.”

Northern Ireland Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood, who will join the families at Tuesday’s meeting, said: “If the promise of candour is real, it starts here.

“Ministers cannot keep repeating the same lines while refusing to answer the families’ questions.

“A judge-led inquiry and full access to sealed files is the only way to honour those who died and the families who have fought for them.”

An MOD spokesperson said: “The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died.

“We understand that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families.

“The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review.

“Lord Coaker, minister of state for defence, Al Carns, minister for the armed forces, and Louise Sandher-Jones MP, minister for veterans and people, will be meeting with representatives from the Chinook Justice Campaign before the end of the year to listen to their concerns first-hand.”