Wrathmonk:
Without wishing to get flamed, whilst I think the faults in airworthiness etc being highlighted in this (and other accidents) by the likes of Chug, tuc, Brian, nigegilb, DV, TD et al is laudable, my (perhaps selfish) best outcome in this case would be to get the Gross Neg charges removed. NPD would satisfy the majority of posters on this thread I am sure. With that battle won focus could then turn to the wider war of airworthiness etc.
Atlantic Cowboy:
There is no possibility of the MOD, Prime MInisters or Ministers present or future ever changing the findings of the BOI. (Ainsworth took one look at it and accepted the findings of the BOI - BOI's are not complete until the comments of the RO's are made). Cameron will look at the advice he is given (should he get in) and come to the same conclusion.
And there speaks a man who knows Wrathmonk. Nothing of course about honour or justice or duty of care but everything about how the Whitehall machine works and how to succeed in it. I for one bow to such specialist knowledge. The words Hell and Freeze-Over come to mind if you think that the MOD will ever do the decent thing and reinstate Rick's and Jon's reputations alone. They haven't, as he so rightly points out, done that for 15 years and have no intention of doing it in the next 15 years or ever. According to them this was an Airworthy and Serviceable aircraft recklessly and wantonly ploughed into a mist and cloud shrouded hillside. But then, these are the people who assured NoK that the Hercules, the Nimrod and the two Sea Kings in which their loved ones died were all Airworthy, so par for the course. The various BoI's into all those accidents failed to discover that they were all airworthiness related. Thus it was, I believe, with this one. Everything that Atlantic Cowboy writes tells me how urgent it is that UK Military Airworthiness be wrested away from the MOD into a separate and independent MAA, and that Accident Investigation be lead and under the control of an independent MAAIB. This accident has to be properly investigated, possibly by the AAIB until its military equivalent be formed, unless the RAF is prepared to ensure that a fair and thorough re-investigation be done. If that had been done in the first place it is just possible that other avoidable accidents since might have been avoided together with needless deaths. I say that this accident was the worst one of all caused by the Gross Negligence of the UK Military Airworthiness Authority, the MOD. Could it bear the same responsibility that has been hung on the memory of two Junior Officers for 15 years? I doubt it.