Chinook aircraft cleared of blame for tragedy

Chinook helicopters were "not to blame" for the 1994 disaster

The RAF Chinook helicopter involved in the 1994 Mull of Kintyre crash was not suffering from "fundamental flaws" in its design, a committee of MPs has said.

The aircraft hit the mountainside on the Scottish island in thick fog killing all 29 people on board, including 25 leading Northern Ireland security experts heading for a conference in Inverness.

The Commons Defence Committee said that while it made no judgment on the immediate causes of the crash, the RAF's Chinook Mark II fleet appeared to be operating "reasonably safely and reliably".

The committee said in a report on the accident that it was not seeking either to endorse or to challenge the findings of an RAF Board of Inquiry which blamed the crash on "gross negligence" by the two pilots.

Their families have long been campaigning against the finding.

The committee said: "On balance, we conclude that, even where those who might have been held responsible have died, there is a clear case for considering whether and to what degree negligence was a factor in an accident.

"We agree that this is better done outside the Board of Inquiry system."