Just as tucumseh and nigegilb try to point out the whole tree or trees, rather than the in depth study of a particular branch which a technical review tends to as in the case of this thread, might I take the opportunity yet again to direct attention at the entire wood? The cavalier way that the MOD has treated its airworthiness obligations over the last few decades is instanced not only in this thread, and the aircraft type to which it refers, but in numerous others, the subjects of accidents and other types on this Forum. Whether the MOD and its apparatchiks are covering their tracks and are rearranging the deck chairs into orderly rows now is bye the bye. They have shown by their actions, by their neglect and by their sheer deception that they are not to be trusted with such awesome responsibility. That those who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of technical excellence and the provision of proper airworthiness standards have been betrayed is galling, but they at least may live to savour their bitterness. What is absolutely appalling is the knowledge that there have been avoidable fatal accidents suffered by military aircraft because airworthiness standards have not been enforced by the airworthiness authority, ie the MOD. I repeat my claim that it is a contradiction in terms to have the same authority responsible for Airworthiness Regulation as well as Operational Control. Self regulation is a nonsense wherever it occurs. Can anyone instance a case where it serves anyone other than the ‘self’ in question? In the case of Airworthiness, self regulation is a disaster which has been visited on too many loved ones. Surely now enough is enough? Military Airworthiness Authority must be removed from the MOD into the hands of a separate and independent Military Airworthiness Authority, along the lines of the CAA. Leave it with the MOD and more compromises, more cover-ups, more expediency, more accidents, more deaths will follow. This is a scandal that must be addressed!