Chinook crash: Renewed calls for inquiry into 1994 tragedy

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More than 30 years after a Chinook helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, resulting in the deaths of 25 intelligence experts and four special forces crew members, families of the victims are renewing calls for a public inquiry. Initially attributed to pilot error, this finding was reversed in 2011, sparking the Chinook Justice Campaign to unveil 110 “critical questions” regarding the tragedy. With over 47,000 signatures, a petition supporting an inquiry will be delivered to Downing Street as members vow to take legal action against the UK government for rejecting calls for a judge-led inquiry.

Niven Phoenix, who lost his father in the crash, emphasized the need for answers, stating that the families had questions but no definitive responses 31 years later. He expressed the hope of securing a judge-led public inquiry and criticized what he perceived as a “machiavellian cover-up.” The campaign’s technical expert, David Hill, highlighted the government’s failure to address key questions surrounding the mission authorization, aircraft selection, and passenger safety warnings. Refusal to grant a public inquiry until 2094 and seal crucial documents were labeled by Hill as a betrayal of families and victims by the state.

On the fatal flight from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, all passengers and crew perished in the crash. The significance of unanswered questions and withheld evidence was underscored by Jenni Balmer-Hornby, whose father was among the casualties. She stressed the importance of honoring those who died serving their country and demanded transparency from the Ministry of Defence. The MOD, in response to the Chinook Justice Campaign’s call for a judicial review of the decision to deny a judge-led inquiry, reiterated that multiple investigations had already been conducted into the tragedy, including an independent review led by a judge

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