32 years ago today: the controversial British Chinook crash
June 2 1994: a RAF Chinook [Registration “ZD576”] crashes in Strathclyde (Scotland). Flying under heavy fog, the helicopter impacted the Mull of Kintyre.
All 29 aboard died in the RAF´s 4th worst peacetime disaster. Among the passengers were almost all the United Kingdom's senior Northern Ireland intelligence experts, which fueled speculations of a terrorist attack.
Early inquiries pointed to pilot actions, but these were later cleared, with findings showing evidence of mechanical failure, as detailed below.
In 1995, an RAF board of inquiry concluded that the exact cause of the accident could not be determined. This finding was overturned by two senior reviewing officers, who ruled that the pilots were grossly negligent for flying too fast and too low in dense fog.
The decision proved highly controversial, given known irregularities and technical issues with the new Chinook HC2 variant, as well as pre-crash problems with the specific “ZD576” airframe.
A 2001 parliamentary inquiry declared the gross negligence verdict unjustified. In 2011, an independent review cleared the crew of negligence and confirmed that the RAF had falsely declared the aircraft compliant with airworthiness regulations.
Video – excerpt from the TV series “Seconds to Disaster”