Fears of Chinook crash pilots

The pilots were said to have been wary of flying

The father of one of the pilots blamed for the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash has given evidence to the House of Lords committee of inquiry into the disaster.

Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper were found guilty of gross negligence by an RAF board of inquiry after their Chinook crashed into the Mull of Kintyre in 1994, killing all 29 people on board.

Giving evidence to the inquiry, John Cook, father of Flight Lt Cook, said his son had registered his concerns over the use of the Chinook Mark 2 and his posting to Northern Ireland.

However, the officer at the head of the RAF inquiry told the committee the accident would not have happened had the pilots adhered to RAF regulations.

John Cook: The aircraft "wasn't ready"

Mr Cook said: "He came and said he was going to Northern Ireland and they were going to send a Mark 2. He asked us to look after Sara and Eleanor (his wife and daughter).

"He said 'Dad, the aircraft isn't ready and we are not ready'."

The House of Lords committee is examining the justification of the finding of negligence.

A five-member committee of peers chaired by Lord Jauncey of Tullichettle, will prepare a report for the House of Lords by January 2002.

'Pilots were frightened'

The families of the two pilots have fought a long campaign to clear them of any blame for the crash and instead pointed to technical failure.

Mr Cook said his son had told him that the flight manual was not up to date and there had been problems with spurious warnings on the control panel.

"It's important to understand just how suspicious the crews were of the new Mark 2," Mr Cook said.

"The Mark 2 was an aircraft that truly frightened the pilots."

A fatal accident inquiry in Scotland decided the pilots could not be held responsible for the crash.

The crash killed all 29 people on board

In that inquiry, a sheriff said he could not be satisfied with the RAF's finding that the crew selecting the wrong rate of climb when overflying the Mull of Kintyre caused the accident.

Air Chief Marshal Sir William Wratten said the airmen should not have been flying because the weather was "manifestly unfit for flight at low level".

Sir William said that 10 witnesses had said the Mull was covered in cloud at the time of the accident.

When the pilots realised there was a problem they should have either turned away from the high ground or performed an "emergency pull up," he added.

"Had they observed the regulations they would not have hit the Mull of Kintyre.

"It is astonishing but I have to say that sadly during my career I have seen very experienced, highly capable pilots doing astonishing things which defy explanation."