A clear indication that the desire here to uncover the cover up is shared with those who lost loved ones at Mull as we approach the 30th anniversary this year. Herewith yesterday's story from the Campbeltown Courier. In particular the stalwart determination by Dr Susan Phoenix , whose husband Ian was one of the 29 victims of the tragedy, is indeed a noble inspiration to all who are determined that the truth be revealed and Air Safety reform enacted :-
EXCLUSIVE: ‘We can’t let it rest’ – families refuse to give up fight for Chinook crash truth
CAMPBELTOWN COURIERNewsMar 1, 2024by Hannah O’HanlonCampaigners are refusing to back down in their bid for the truth about what caused a Chinook helicopter to crash at the Mull of Kintyre.
.Chinook ZD576 crashed into the steep hillside in thick foggy conditions on June 2 1994, killing all 25 passengers – almost all the UK’s senior Northern Ireland intelligence experts – and the four Royal Air Force (RAF) crew on board.
The group, which included members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, MI5 and the British Army, had been travelling from RAF Aldergrove near Belfast to a security conference in Inverness two months before the 1994 IRA ceasefire.
Controversy surrounds investigations into the crash, with the RAF’s board of inquiry initially blaming the crash on “gross negligence” by the helicopter’s pilots, Flight Lieutenant Jonathan Tapper and Flight Lieutenant Richard Cook.
After an almost 20-year campaign to clear their names, the men were exonerated in 2011, but the actual cause of the tragedy has never been established.
As the 30th anniversary approaches, the incident has returned to the spotlight, with the BBC recently airing a two-part documentary, Chinook: Zulu Delta 576.
READ MORE
Argyll MP pleads for Chinook documents to be preserved
Chinook crash victim's daughter's heartfelt 'thank you' to Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash in the spotlight 30 years on
Among the men killed that night was Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix, whose wife Dr Susan Phoenix is one of those who is determined to keep fighting for the truth about what happened.
Speaking to West Coast Today, she said: “I remember sitting with some of the other campaigners and technical experts when the announcement was made that the pilots’ names had been cleared.
“I was overwhelmed with emotion but it was double-pronged – I was relieved, but then one of the reporters who had come to be with us whilst the verdict was announced said, ‘Right, that’s it, job done.’
“We all turned to him and said, ‘No – we need to find out what happened. This is only the beginning.’ Then the phone hacking scandal broke and all the attention turned to that.”
Phoenix: Policing the Shadows, a 1996 book co-written by Dr Phoenix, is based on her husband’s diaries and uncovers the workings of covert operations in Northern Ireland. It has recently been turned into an audiobook, narrated by the couple’s son Niven, who also took part in the BBC documentary.
Dr Phoenix said: “Even 30 years on, we can’t let it rest. It was a cover-up and we are pleading with the government for the truth.”
Susan Phoenix and her son Niven are refusing to give up the fight for the truth about the crash.One of the technical experts who Dr Phoenix thanks for supporting the ongoing campaign for justice is David Hill, the author of a book on the tragedy called The Inconvenient Truth.
Mr Hill, a retired aeronautical engineer who worked in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for more than 30 years primarily as an avionics/aircraft programme manager, contributed to the review which eventually cleared the pilots’ names.
He said: "“The government declared the case closed, but there is no legal basis for doing so. The original findings have not been replaced and the aim of the investigation, to prevent recurrence, has not been met.
“If one asks the MoD for the official record, it will supply the original report. Negligent to a gross degree. Manslaughter. The truth remains concealed.”
He added: “The families are seldom given the opportunity to present the truth and on the odd occasion they have, MoD has refused to debate the issue. Their voices must be heard.”
An MoD spokesperson told us the organisation is satisfied a proper probe was carried out.
They added: “The Mull of Kintyre was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died.
“In 2010, the government established the Mull of Kintyre Review, the findings of which were unequivocally accepted.
“This review considered that criticism of the board of inquiry, on the grounds that insufficient attention was paid to airworthiness and maintenance aspects, was unjustified, likewise it did not find new evidence to suggest mechanical failure, and no safety issues with the Chinook mark 2 were raised in the report.”
Mr Hill is now calling for political intervention to help finally establish the cause of the crash.
He said: “The disposition of the case rests with the Lord Advocate in Edinburgh, the senior law officer in Scotland. Successive incumbents have refused to re-open the Fatal Accident Inquiry or instruct the police.
“That is bad enough, but they have, in the process, wilfully ignored the known facts, content in the certain knowledge their 1996 inquiry was lied to.
“However, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal’s Service, which acts on behalf of the Lord Advocate, has considered the ‘new’ facts; albeit briefly.
“Their decision was that, despite the accident and deaths occurring in Scotland, this was a matter for the Metropolitan Police in London, as that is where the offences took place. The Met have not replied to formal complaints. This impasse needs resolving at a political level.”
Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara this week also joined the calls for clarity.
He said: “Following reports in 2019 that relevant files pertaining to the disaster could be destroyed, I sought confirmation and reassurance from the UK Government that all the files they hold relating to the RAF Chinook helicopter crash would be preserved.
“Although the pilots’ names were finally cleared, the circumstances in which 29 UK service personnel died has never been fully explained. I cannot fathom as to why the MoD would even consider destroying these files which remain the only pathway to establish the truth of what happened.
“As we approach the 30th anniversary, I will write once again to the Secretary of State for Defence seeking confirmation that these files have not, and will not, be destroyed.
“The bereaved families must have that hope of finding out what exactly led to their loved ones losing their lives on that awful night.”
West Coast Today has also contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment but has not yet received a response.
Mr Hill said that while the authorities drag their heels, the family’s heartache continues.
He added: "The bereaved families, all 29 of them, are in limbo. Who caused the death of their loved ones?
“It is clear some accepted the findings against the pilots and moved on as best they could. A small few have always taken a keen interest in the facts and sought to understand them, consumed by grief and the deceits perpetrated upon them.
"This case is not over. Not by a long way.”
West Coast Today - News - ‘We can’t let it rest’ – families refuse to give up fight for Chinook crash truth