Appalling admission about doomed plane - Nimrod XV230

According to the "Press and Journal"

IT WOULD be wrong to attempt to prejudge the outcome of an inquest into the deaths of 14 RAF Kinloss crew in a Nimrod crash in Afghanistan, but the evidence which is unfolding will take a lot of explaining.

Statements by experts are becoming more incredible by the day. Yesterday, aircraft manufacturer BAE Systems’ chief engineer admitted, under intense questioning, that the doomed plane, the 37-year-old Nimrod XV230, was not airworthy when it went on active operations against the Taliban.

It is little wonder that this appalling admission brought gasps of horror at the inquest from bereaved relatives of the crew.

There have long been doubts about whether or not this illustrious, but ageing, fleet of aircraft was fit to perform at the required standard.

A previous RAF board of inquiry into the tragedy delivered a damning condemnation of maintenance and safety procedures. The inquest might easily follow suit, with the coroner having a number of possible recommendations at his disposal.

If we sidestep the legal niceties for the moment, the average member of the public will be left wondering how on earth the system running one of the most revered military organisations in the world was allowed to send this crew on what amounted to a suicide mission. One wonders whether or not they knew when they took off that they were in more danger from their own equipment than the enemy.

Whatever the coroner’s recommendations might be, the public must be reassured that current and future aircrew are never placed in the same position.

All I can say is my father would have been deeply distressed to hear what is happening to his beloved RAF.

Appalling admission about doomed plane - Press & Journal