The BoI determined that fuel leaking into the bomb bay which came into contact with a hot air pipe following a mid-air refuelling exercise was the most likely cause of the series of explosions on board the aircraft which crashed in Afghanistan, killing all 14 servicemen on board.

Those who were killed in the crash on September 2, 2006, were Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, Flight Lieutenant Leigh Mitchelmore, Flight Lieutenant Gareth Nicholas, Flight Lieutenant Allan Squires, Flight Lieutenant Steven Swarbrick, Flight Sergeant Gary Andrews, Flight Sergeant Stephen Beattie, Flight Sergeant Gerard Bell, Flight Sergeant Adrian Davies, Sergeant Benjamin Knight, Sergeant John Langton, Sergeant Gary Quilliam, Corporal Oliver Dicketts and Marine Joseph Windall.

The pilot of the Nimrod, Flt Lt Al Squires, had sent out a "pan-pan" signal, which indicates a problem, and was just a few minutes away from trying to land the stricken aircraft at Kandahar airbase when it exploded in mid-air.

Speaking after the report, which identified safety failings with the ageing Nimrod, his widow, Adele, said that although she blamed the MoD for the accident, she hoped they had learned lessons to prevent it happening again.

In an unprecedented move, Secretary of State for Defence, Des Browne, apologised to the families of the servicemen in the House of Commons last Tuesday afternoon, immediately following the publication of the report, and set up an independent review to assess the implications of the findings.

Paying tribute to the servicemen who were killed, in what the Board of Inquiry called "an unsurvivable crash", he said their families should be very proud of their bravery.

"The Board of Inquiry established the most probable cause of the fire and subsequent loss of XV230, and in doing so identified failings for which the Ministry of Defence must take responsibility," he said.

"On behalf of the MoD and the Royal Air Force, I would like to apologise to the House of Commons, and most of all to those who lost their lives, and to their families. I am sorry."

He said steps had already been taken to ensure that a similar accident cannot occur again.

"We are learning lessons from the accident, and have already implemented many recommendations of the BoI report," he said.

He said he supported Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, who has passed the fleet as safe to fly.

"His professional judgment is that the Nimrod fleet is safe to fly," he said.

"I have accepted his advice but decided to put in place a review of the arrangements for assuring the airworthiness and safe operation of the Nimrod MR2.

"This review will be led by a senior Queen's Counsel, assisted by technical experts on aviation systems, and will examine all relevant papers, and interview all those in a position to assist, including BAe Systems and Qinetiq."

Paying tribute to the men who were killed, ACM Torpy said they had behaved in an exemplary manner, acting with bravery and calm professionalism, right up until the moment they were lost, after being faced with a series of complex and demanding emergencies.

"They acted throughout with calm professionalism, and did everything possible to save their aircraft," he said.

"Their families, friends and colleagues should be very proud of them all."

He said due to the hostile nature of the crash site, which was believed to have been stripped within hours by locals, the BoI established the most likely scenario for the fire and the events and factors which led to the loss of the aircraft.

"The fire most likely resulted from escaped fuel igniting against a hot pipe in a compartment near the wing-fuselage attachment – the No 7 tank dry bay. The fuel probably gained access to the pipe through a gap between two types of insulation.

"The fuel most likely escaped from one of two possible sources: the action of a pressure-relief device in the main fuel tank, which led to an overflow of fuel during air-to-air refuelling, or a leaking fuel coupling."

He said a number of measures were taken by the RAF immediately afterwards to ensure that a similar scenario did not occur again, which means turning off ignition sources wherever possible and disabling the hot air pipe.

There has also been a fleet-wide examination of areas where flammable materials, such as fuel or hydraulic fluid, may be placed in relative proximity to potential sources of ignition should a leak occur, and increasing inspections of the area to detect any faults at as early a stage as possible.

"During this process no evidence of any fleet-wide problems was identified."

He added: "The Board made 33 recommendations to ensure safety measures are formally incorporated within Nimrod procedures.

"The vast majority of these have already been implemented to ensure the safety of the Nimrod fleet and its crews."

Moray MP Angus Robertson said the inquiry had confirmed that the crew did everything they could in the circumstances to save the aircraft.

"They were brave professional aviators to the last," he said.

"This is recognised at RAF Kinloss and the entire service and civilian community in Moray, and we pay tribute to them."

However, he said there were areas of concern highlighted in the report, which included the fact that the inquiry stated that the age of the Nimrod aircraft was a possible contributory factor.

"This is a serious cause for concern as it impacts on the rest of the fleet, which is nearly 40 years old," he said.

He also expressed concern at the four-year gap until the new Nimrod MRA4 enters service, and said safety recommendations from the Board of Inquiry must be implemented as a priority.

"Only recently another Nimrod aircraft suffered a serious fuel leak, and it has proved impossible to fully understand why this happened," he said.

"It is a cause of concern that the inquiry also confirmed the loss of experienced engineering personnel from RAF Kinloss.

"The MoD must do everything in its power to restore confidence in the Nimrod fleet, which performs a vital military role."

Mr Robertson added that families of the victims, the service personnel at RAF Kinloss and the civilian community in Moray expect that safety must come first.

t.mclaren@forres-gazette.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend