Mr Holbrook stated on oath in a sworn written statement to the BOI that when he saw the Chinook he was 2NM SW of the Mull and the visibility was 1NM limited by haze. That statement was made in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. Subsequently he gave evidence in respect of the weather to the FAI and the HOL Committee. There were, however, variations in the evidence he gave to each of these Inquiries.
The evidence he gave to the BOI was the evidence that faced the Reviewing Officers and their Air Staffs. It was that evidence, given in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, that had to be considered in forming their judgements.
It is worth remembering that the average groundspeed from the departure fix to impact was assessed as being in excess of 150kts and that the speed at impact was assessed as approx 150kts. Mr Holbrook assessed the speed of the Chinook in his evidence to the HOL Select Committee as "60-80kts". If Mr Holbrook was correct then the Chinook must have accelerated rapidly after passing Mr Holbrook in order to achieve its impact speed of approx 150kts. If that was indeed the case then the correct finding would have been "Recklessness."