bil

At long bloody last some justice has been done. The copter crashed some 20 years ago, killing a lot of people and the two pilots were blamed, despite the fact that it was common knowledge among those in the know that there were problems with the navigation systems. One of the pilots concerned had written to his father saying how concerned they were with the problems, but they had been ordered to use them.

Worst of all, the MOD had been advised by the testing people on the Chinooks that the entire fleet should be grounded the day before the crash.

Despite all this, the MOD took the attitude that it was better to slander the dead pilots as they couldn't complain.

20 years for their names to be cleared, and people wonder why I always say you should never, never ever work for government in any way, shape or form.

agoreira

We've been drip fed snippets of information about this case, and unless we have all the details that the MOD would have have had, and/or are experts on chinooks flight systems, I don't we are in any way fit to pass judgement one way or another. It would be pure speculation on our part as laymen.

Domino

as an ex-serviceman who had some involvement in the Digital Engine Control system on Chinooks but just as a "good joe" I must disagree with you.

for years many people in and out of the RAF have been saying the original decision was wrong. There are technical and weather reasons why it was at best a dodgy knee jerk reaction.

because of the way it was designed (by a drunken yank) and the way it has to be operated it has had a very chequered history. that our MOD decided to do major changes to the spec after delivery didn't help.

a day or so ago the senior officer who made that decision refused to change his mind - came over as the sort who would blame anyone for anything so long as it was understood it wasnt his fault. He more or less said that the helicopter hit the ground so the pilots were at fault and there can be no arguement on that matter.

and who was the numpty that decided so many senior people from a variety of services should all be in the same helicopter at the same time.

bil

Two points.

1. The pilots were complaining about it being unsafe.
2. The MOD were advised by their own experts that the chinook fleet should be grounded.

Imagine you were running a business supplying minibusses to people, and you were told by the drivers that they were unsafe, and your own mechanics said they needed to be taken off the road at once, and you did nothing, and then one of them crashed killing the driver and all his passengers. If you then blamed that driver, what would that make you?

Clue. First letter C, last letter T.

Fredbargate

Meanwhile 20 years of anguish for friends and family

bil

Better yet, because of the government's attitude, I think two of the parents actually died without seeing their son's name cleared.

Mitzyboy

It would make you liable to corporate manslaughter wouldnt it?

agoreira

So you reckon they simply opted to ignore everybody, were perfectly happen to let all those high ranking officers and highly expensively trained aircrew plough into the ground? Do you think they'd have stuffed that helicopter with top brass if they had any serious doubts about their safety? As I said, you know what you have read, which will be a lot less info than the MOD had before it ok'ed the flights.

Domino

unless you could
a. blame the driver despite what everyone in the know was telling you
b. hide behind good old Crown Immunity


The attitude of the RAF officer I mentioned earlier sounded just like a general from WWI - I sent the guys out there but its their fault they died

by the way, what happened to the fog, mist and the low level flying that contributed to them hitting that particular piece of landscape. They seem to have been forgotten along with IIRC that machine was "bare bones" and didn't have a radar.

Domino

well they did it with the Nimrod so why should not have done it with a Chinook - which isn't a "real aircraft"

Forces mentality is just a little skewed from the normal H&S riddled life of today, it was improving but not as you would understand it, sri

bil

I think the people responsible just weren't prepared to admit that they'd got it wrong with the chinook systems, and hoped the problem would go away.

As someone here has pointed out, putting so many important people on one chopper was pretty bloody stupid anyway.

bil

It bloody well ought to.

agoreira

We're very much a RAF family, well used to forces mentality. My son is still in avionics working on the incoming A400.