I do not think the FADEC was the direct cause of this accident, however, it does have a significance. Because of the ongoing problems with it (old software, no-one able to debug it) the usual procedure for bringing a new type of aircraft into service appears to have been bypassed for reasons not publically known (how long overdue in service was the HC2?). If Boscombe Down had not completed their test flying then it appears that the aircraft type cannot have had a full CA release and therefore it would not normally have been in squadron service i.e. NO-ONE should have been flying it operationally. (The pre-service test flying was stopped because the test pilots refused to continue until the FADEC glitches were sorted. Therefore icing trials were not completed and the aircraft was not cleared for flight in cold cloud conditions).
It seems these guys were ordered to fly in circumstances they were very unhappy about, especially as the aircraft had other unserviceabilities. Anyone not having seen active military service will perhaps not understand the pressure on these guys to go ahead despite their concerns. (NI being an operational theatre, a court martial is a possible alternative!). If the aircraft did not have an icing clearance then there was no IFR option - so please stop bleating on about it. We all know these guys should have been on an IFR flight or in the bar. The crew knew it too. They wanted to take a Mk1 which had that IFR option and requested it. Instead they were ordered to take an aircraft of questionable serviceability over the sea in poor weather, well below MSA and below reliable radio navaid coverage. Why? Never published. They would probably have been obliged to rely on Dead Reckoning backed up by a GPS (which apparently had previously been giving some significant cross-track errors prior to the final flight). At the end of the day they were probably finally killed by a simple navigational error followed by CFIT.
Military discipline sadly appears to have over-ruled airmanship (and the normal flight authorisation safety net) and the rest is now history. Jon Tapper and Rick Cook were not grossly negligent, they were high calibre, intelligent and experienced guys carrying out bad orders to the best of their ability and they paid for it with their lives. Why the flight was allowed to take place in those circumstances is another matter. The label of gross negligence is perhaps better placed elsewhere, further up the chain. Labelling the deceased crew with it was a scandal.
RIP Guys. The truth is out there. Let's hope it comes out soon.
[This message has been edited by Skycop (edited 18 October 1999).]