Having read through most of today's report I am surprised by the lengths that Liam Fox took to state that the Reviewing Officers were not to blame, and that these two distinguished men didn't under the concept of "absolutely no doubt whatsover". The report (link on
The Campaign for Justice for the Pilots of ZD576) paints a very different picture of the involvement of Messrs Day and Wratten, and is far less complimentary than Dr Fox's statement to the House of Commons this afternoon. During their evidence, as during the previous 17 years, these two have presented assumptions as facts, and dismissed facts which did not suit as speculation, to back up their arguments.
If you take the time to read through the original BoI (link from within today's report) it is clear that there was plenty of doubt right from the start of the process and I find it inexcusable that Day & Wratten could ignore this, along with evidence from the AAIB and others in order to draw a conclusion which suited their needs.
More recently, in his evidence to the Phillip enquiry, Sir John Day stated that he and his staff who reviewed the BoI were unanimous in finding Gross Negligence. I discussed this point with a friend (now retired) who was one of the officers on John Day's staff who reviewed the report, and his recollection was the exact opposite. He told me that no-one in High Wycombe considered the pilots should be blamed and that they were "astonished" when the AOC did exactly that.
I think it is a great pity that Messrs Wratten and Day (and, to a certain extent, Grp Capt Crawford) have got away scot-free, but in reality it was never likely that they would be held to account. It is clear however, as Poltergeist suggests, that the root cause of this tragedy - let us not lose sight of the 29 people who died - began much earlier within the RAF.
At the end of the day however the families are satisfied and so the matter should be laid to rest.