Families of 1994 Chinook crash victims seek answers as 47,000 sign petition

The families of those killed in the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash have published 110 “critical questions” about the tragedy, as they prepare to hand in a petition to Downing Street.

The Chinook Justice Campaign’s petition has been signed by more than 47,000 people calling for a public inquiry.

Twenty-five intelligence experts and four special forces crew were killed when the helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, on June 2 that year.

The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before this was overturned in 2011.

Families of the victims have said they will “see the UK Government in court” after the Prime Minister rejected calls for a judge-led inquiry.

A petition will be handed in to Downing Street on Tuesday, while the campaign will also attempt to deliver a letter to the Ministry of Defence.

Among the 110 questions, the campaign wants to know who authorised the mission.

They are also seeking answers on why the aircraft type was selected and whether passengers and crew were warned of the risks.

David Hill, who is technical expert for the Chinook Justice Campaign, said: “For the families, the refusal to grant a public inquiry, coupled with the decision to seal key documents until 2094, is a betrayal by the state of them and their loved ones.

“Continuing secrecy undermines trust not only in the MoD but in the Government itself.

“The Prime Minister and his defence ministers keep claiming that ‘this was a tragic accident’ and that there have been ‘six inquiries’ and that no fresh evidence is likely to emerge in a new judge-led public inquiry.

“This new list of 110 questions explodes that myth. It blows a massive hole in the Government’s argument because none of these questions has been answered properly.

“These questions seek to assist in establishing why 25 passengers and four crew were placed in an unairworthy aircraft that the MoD’s most experienced test pilots were forbidden to fly.”

A BBC documentary last year, Chinook: Zulu Delta 576, revealed the files related to the tragedy had been sealed by the MoD for 100 years.

Jenni Balmer-Hornby, whose father Anthony Hornby was killed in the crash, said: “Every time the Ministry of Defence says there is nothing new to uncover, we can now point to 110 very specific, very serious questions that have never been answered.

“These questions are not speculation — they are based on evidence that was withheld, ignored or misrepresented to previous inquiries.

“We deserve answers and those who died serving their country deserve to be honoured not subjected to continuing deception from the MoD.”

Brothers Andy and Matt Tobias – from Watford, Hertfordshire – will be among the group handing in the petition on Tuesday. Their father John Tobias was killed in the crash.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. We understand that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families.

“We have now received the Chinook Justice Campaign’s formal claim for a judicial review of our decision to reject the demand for a judge-led inquiry into the circumstances of the crash.

“Our focus is on responding to that claim and to the allegations contained within it and we are unable to comment further at this time.

“The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review.”