Oxford Coroner's Court was emptied on Wednesday on the first day of the inquest into the tragedy on September 2, 2006, so that the families could listen to the recording in private.

It was an emotional moment for the families of the crew of XV230. The aircraft had just completed an air-to-air refuelling during an operational mission over Afghanistan when a catastrophic fuel leak caused an on-board fire.

The cockpit recording revealed the moment the crew realised a fire had broken out, then sent a mayday signal and made frantic efforts to land the stricken aircraft at nearby Kandahar airfield.

The plane crashed two minutes after the recording finished.

Many of the family members were crying as they left the courtroom.

RAF pathologist, Wing Commander Graeme Maidment, said that the men – 12 of them from 120 Squadron at the Moray base – died from multiple injuries, probably caused by the aircraft's impact with the ground and not the mid-air explosion.

He apologised to the families for any additional distress that may have been caused by DNA complications which initially meant that some victims were wrongly identified.

The deaths of the servicemen represented the heaviest loss of life suffered by British forces in a single incident since the Falklands War.

Prior to the formal start of the inquest, which is expected to last two weeks, the families viewed a similar Nimrod which had flown to nearby Brize Norton on Tuesday at the request of the coroner.

Last year an RAF Board of Inquiry (BoI) concluded that the age of the Nimrod fleet and its components, including the fuel seals, were contributory factors in the tragedy, as was the maintenance policy for the fleet.

The cause of the crash was fuel which probably escaped during air-to-air refuelling into a bay on the starboard side of the aircraft, either because of a leaking fuel coupling or an overflowing fuel tank.

The fuel caught fire when it made contact with hot air pipes – through a gap in insulation – which can reach temperatures of 400ºC.

Squadron Leader Guy Bazalgette, a commander of the RAF's Nimrod detachment in Afghanistan at the time, said the plane underwent regular air-to-air refuelling (AAR).

"The aircraft was doing the majority of missions," he said. "It was also doing the majority of AAR."

He told the inquest that the aircraft was one of only two available to him, and it had flown eight missions in two weeks. Five of them involved air-to-air refuelling.

Under questioning by the coroner, he agreed that if the inquest deemed there was a danger to AAR, then the risks were increased by the amount of AAR being done.

Family members also questioned the experience of Flight Lieutenant David Bain, the Engineering Officer in charge of the Nimrod XV 230's maintenance.

The inquest heard he had taken responsibility for the aircraft after a two-week training course in "Nimrod management".

"Across the board, I felt that I had sufficient experience," he told the coroner.

Following the tragedy, Flt Lt Bain had told investigators: "The XV 230 was such a good jet that the view of the engineers was that it was A-OK."

Following publication of the BoI report last December, Defence Secretary Des Browne apologised to the families of the dead airmen and ordered a comprehensive review of the Nimrod fleet. However, Mr Browne has continually insisted that the Nimrod is considered safe to fly.

The inquest is being presided over by Oxfordshire assistant deputy coroner Andrew Walker.

The 12 RAF Kinloss servicemen who died were: Flt Sgt Gary Andrews (48), Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie (42), Flt Sgt Gerard Bell (48), Flt Sgt Aidy Davies (49), Flt Lt Steve Johnson (38), Sgt Ben Knight (25), Sgt John Langton (29), Flt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore (28), Flt Lt Gareth Nicholas (40), Sgt Gary Quilliam (42), Flt Lt Al Squires (39) and Flt Lt Steve Swarbrick (28). The other two servicemen who perished were Lance Corporal Oliver Dicketts, of the Parachute Regiment, and Royal Marine Joseph Windall (22).

Moray MP Angus Robertson said that many questions asked of the Ministry of Defence remained unanswered. "I sincerely hope that the coroner will be able to uncover the root causes of the loss of Nimrod XV230 in Afghanistan 20 months ago," he added.

Mr Robertson believes such inquests should take place closer to where those most affected live.

"At a time of grief, it is natural and proper that we should make it easier for the families and friends of those killed to understand the circumstances of their loved one's death," he said.

"The Oxfordshire Coroner's office has been overwhelmed by inquests, causing significant delays to the process, but now that this inquest is finally being held, I know that the coroner is very capable and will endeavour to get the answers needed."

c.saunderson@northern-scot.co.uk

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