Sunday Times:
Nimrod safety flaws identified
An independent review into an explosion on board an RAF Nimrod spy plane that killed all 14 on board will this week criticise air safety procedures in the armed forces.
Experts who advised the review blamed a series of accidents, including the Nimrod crash in Afghanistan, on cost-saving measures that removed the requirement for middle-ranking officers to undergo extensive training in safety compliance.
The chairman of the review, Charles Haddon-Cave QC, has written to the families of those killed, saying he will name individuals and companies or organisations responsible for safety failings.
The review was set up by Des Browne, then defence secretary, in December 2007 after a board of inquiry found fuel leaking on to hot air pipes had caused an explosion and the loss of the Nimrod in September 2006.