RAF Nimrods 'had fuel problems'

The government has defended the RAF Nimrod fleet's safety record

An RAF engineer has told an inquest he "should have been told" about signs of fuel leaks in a Nimrod plane which exploded mid-air killing 14 servicemen.

The 37-year-old reconnaissance plane exploded just minutes after undergoing air-to-air refuelling in Afghanistan on 2 September 2006, killing all on board.

Oxford Coroner's Court heard that a series of fuel leaks had been reported throughout the Nimrod fleet.

The Nimrod and most of the crew had been based at RAF Kinloss, in Moray.

'Quite shocking'

The inquest heard that a number of crews had noted fuel leaking into the fuselage after air-to-air refuelling (AAR) before the crash near Kandahar in 2006.

Some of the aircraft had been "blowing off" fuel and air through a special safety valve as the tanks were being filled.

Most of the men were based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland Enlarge Image

Sergeant Mark Wallington, the ground engineer who oversaw repair and maintenance work on the Nimrods in Afghanistan, said he had not been told about these incidents.

He added that he did not know that the Nimrod XV230 had "blown off" fuel on two recorded occasions before the fatal accident.

"I think I should have been made aware. You like to know everything that is going on," he said.

"The blow off is a safety feature of the aircraft so it is not an actual fault so it might not be considered a fault (to be reported)."

But he added: "I should have been told when fuel was found having escaped from the system."

HOW THE NIMROD CRASHED 1. Nimrod refuels in mid-air 2. Possible fuel over-flow from number one tank 3. Second possible source of leak is pipe couplings behind number seven tank 4. Leaked fuel contacts hot pipe and ignites 5. Fire and smoke alarms triggered in bomb bay and underfloor by sensitive wiring Families' tears at Nimrod inquest

Another Nimrod engineer told the court he discovered a number of corroded couplings, used to join the fuel pipes in the aircraft, both before and after the incident.

Sergeant Andrew Whitmore said he first noticed the corrosion while investigating the cause of a fuel leak on a Nimrod in the same fleet as the XV230, before the tragedy.

He described it as "quite shocking" and said the "salty air" was the most likely cause of the corrosion on the aircraft, which is heavily used for air-sea rescues.

But the court heard that a check of all the couplings across the entire fleet was only ordered after the incident.

At that point the fleet was grounded and engineers found further corroded couplings.

"We didn't find any leaks but it was only a matter of time," said Sgt Whitmore.

"We found dinted fuel pipes and broken bonding leads."

The RAF continued air-to-air refuelling after the tragedy but a further two incidents involving fuel leaks led to the practice being suspended, the court heard.

RAF inquiry

Yesterday, the families of the servicemen killed heard a recording of the plane's last moments.

The deaths of the servicemen marked the heaviest loss of life to be suffered by British forces in a single incident since the Falklands War.

It was the fourth Nimrod crash in 36 years of operations.

An RAF Board of Inquiry (BoI) report into the incident concluded that ageing components and a lack of modern fire suppressants were among the "contributory factors" leading to the accident.

The BoI report said fuel probably escaped during air-to-air refuelling into a bay on the starboard side of the aircraft either because of a leaking fuel coupling or an overflowing fuel tank.

The fuel probably caught fire when it made contact with hot air pipes - through a gap in insulation - which can reach temperatures of 400C.

The Ministry of Defence has defended the Nimrod fleet's safety record.

The 14 men killed were:

Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, 38, from Collingham, Nottinghamshire, Flt Lt Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore, 28, from Bournemouth, Dorset, Flt Lt Gareth Rodney Nicholas, 40, from Redruth, Cornwall, Flt Lt Allan James Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge, Merseyside and Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, from Liverpool.

Also Flight Sergeant Gary Wayne Andrews, 48, from Tankerton, Kent, Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, from Dundee, Flt Sgt Gerard Martin Bell, 48, from Newport, Shropshire, and Flt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Sergeant Benjamin James Knight, 25, from Bridgwater, Sgt John Joseph Langton, 29,from Liverpool and Sgt Gary Paul Quilliam, 42, from Manchester.

Lance Corporal Oliver Simon Dicketts, of the Parachute Regiment, from Wadhurst and Royal Marine Joseph David Windall, 22, from Hazlemere also died.

The inquest into their deaths is being held by Oxfordshire assistant deputy coroner Andrew Walker.

The inquest continues.