Mr Browne apologised in Parliament as he announced an immediate review of the airworthiness and safe operation of the Nimrod aircraft in the wake of the publication of the official RAF Board of Inquiry on Tuesday.

It concluded that the age of the Nimrod MR2 fleet, and in particular the fuel seals, and the maintenance policy relating to the fuel system, were contributing factors in the explosion of aircraft XV230 on September 2, 2006.

It further added that the implications of introducing air-to-air refuelling to the Nimrod's operations in the Middle East had not been fully identified and could also have been a factor in the tragedy.

Also blamed was the lack of a fire detection and supression system in the dry tank area where the fire started as a contributory factor.

The publication of the report into the loss of the 14 servicemen – 12 of them from 120 Squadron at RAF Kinloss – confirmed that there had been growing fears about the number of fuel leaks suffered by the Nimrod fleet prior to the incident.

Graham Knight, whose son Ben died in the crash, said the report confirmed the families' worst fears that this was an accident waiting to happen which could have been prevented.

"I was quite amazed to hear Des Browne say sorry. I thought it (his speech) was going to be full of maybes and possiblys,"

"We now have to live with the fact that our son was killed by his own side by its incompetence," said Mr Knight.

RAF chiefs insist the Nimrod is safe to fly and point to the fact many of the 33 separate recommendations made by the Board of Inquiry (BoI) have already been implemented.

However, Mr Browne has still ordered an urgent review, to be headed by a senior Queen's Counsel and two senior aviation experts.

The BoI report concluded that the fire and loss of the Nimrod followed the escape of fuel from two possible sources as the air-to-air refuelling drew to a close: either from a pressure-relief device in the main fuel tank, which led to an overflow of fuel or a leaking fuel coupling. It was unable to say which of the two was more likely.

The escaped fuel entered a bay within the aircraft, close to a hot air pipe linked to the aircraft's air conditioning system, which was at around 400 degrees Celsius and ignited within a minute.

Hot gases and smoke from the fire entered a number of bays triggering alarms. The blaze also caused the aircraft to depressurise which strengthened the fire.

As a result of the fire, fuel in a smaller tank began to boil, breached the tank and ignited. The fire is thought to have damaged the aircraft's hydraulics systems and flight controls in the moments before it exploded.

The Nimrod broke into four sections at a height of between 750 feet and 1,000 feet as the crew battled to bring it in to land at nearby Kandahar Airfield. The board said the crash was not survivable.

Adele Squires, widow of the Nimrod captain and pilot, Flt Lt Al Squires, said: "We just want some justice and the MoD to sit up and take notice, what they have done could have been avoided. We live in hope that they will not let this happen in the future."

Mr Browne said the Board of Inquiry identified failings for which the MoD must take responsibility.

"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 added.

"I pay tribute to the 14 service personnel who lost their lives in this tragic incident. My thoughts are with their families and friends and, indeed, the men and women of the Armed Forces who I know feel the loss of their colleagues very deeply."

Mr Browne claimed lessons had been learned from the tragedy and despite accepting the professional view of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, that the Nimrod fleet is safe to fly, has initiated the review.

Sir Glenn, who visited RAF Kinloss on Wednesday for a private meeting with personnel and family members, said: "Action has been taken to prevent the reoccurrence of this accident and I would like to reassure our service personnel and the public that this aircraft is still safe to fly."

The actions taken include: turning off all possible ingnition sources, including the hot air pipe and a fleet-wide examination of areas where flammable materials such as fuel or hydraulic fluid could come into close contact with sources of ignition in the event of a leak.

It emerged recently that there have been at least four other fuel leak scares involving Nimrod aircraft since the September 2 tragedy.

While Mr Knight welcomed the review, he called on the Government to initiate a fully independent public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The pain of losing his son and that of the other families will never go away, said Mr Knight, but the report had lifted a weight off their shoulders.

The next big event for the families will be the formal inquest and the MoD has said it will resolve the issue of compensation as quickly as possible.

c.saunderson@northern-scot.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---