Odd.....the old girls are still flogging the skies around the World with fleet hours in the Millions....and a safety record as good as any other helicopter. The North Sea machines that got flogged off are still out there earning a living hauling massive loads all day long for Columbia.
You suppose if the Brits had listened to those who had operated the things for decades before the first one arrived in Blighty....things might have gone a bit differently? I should think the continuing success of the Chinook in other parts of the World and the RAF.....should confirm the validity of the design.
Some folks just have a narrow minded view of things.
They died because of the fundamental design issue ie intermeshing rotors, plus a lot of deaths