Lab Queen,
I understand completely that the speculation over the cause of the crash is not helpful and that this thread may not help the greiving process. However, it exists primarily to answer two questions:
a. Why did XV230 crash? This is needed for closure, although it will not change the past and is based on a fair amount of speculation (a great deal of which is inaccurate). The BoI SHOULD provide the facts and comprehensive recommendations, but with political pressure this MAY not be the case.
b. Can the risk be reduced? This is incredibly important for the safety of current and future Nimrod crews. I am certain that raising the profile of the case will make it more difficult for the MoD to ignore the fact that modifications need to be made to the MR2 and MRA4 to reduce the risk to crews.