Or they could have been a competent crew flying a serviceable aircraft who negligently failed to maintain VFR
1. MoD confirmed they were competent.
2. Evidence supplied by MoD confirms unserviceabilities in the aircraft and, more damningly, that a key component was considered positively dangerous. (Something that is dangerous, by definition, cannot pass a
valid serviceability test, as that test cannot be approved until the design and installation of the unit under test is first proven safe. By MoD's own admission, that last had not been achieved).
3. Ditto, MoD confirms most of the Nav system was not cleared to ANY level, which learned pilots tell me makes a transition to IFR a somewhat dodgy proposition.
I see Menzies Campbell has kept HIS promise. I do hope Cameron keeps his. Either way, the above MoD statements will be held against them.
Also, I hope Sir Donald Spiers will be invited to explain why he completely ignored HIS OWN mandatory instructions (CA Instructions) and signed a fabricated CA Release. And ACM Bagnall will, similarly, be asked why he agreed to accept such a CAR, given the regulations required him to make a written acceptance before he signed the RTS.
In a fair world, that should take about 10 minutes, swiftly followed by a hasty climbdown by MoD and knocks on several doors. (The Provost Marshall is already busy dealing with lesser offences on Nimrod but I'm sure Strathclyde Police will gladly help).