Church Moderator hopes new Chinook crash inquiry will resolve ‘injustice’

The new Moderator of the Church of Scotland has said he hopes a review into the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre will resolve any sense of injustice felt by relatives of the victims.

All 29 people on board were killed when their Chinook Mark 2 helicopter came down on the island in western Scotland.

Although an initial RAF board of inquiry cleared pilots Jonathan Tapper and Richard Cook of any blame, a subsequent RAF inquiry concluded that the helicopter had been airworthy and that the crash had been the result of gross negligence on the part of the pilots.

Defence Secretary Liam Fox confirmed last week that the Ministry of Defence was looking at the best way to undertake a fresh review of the evidence.

Kirk Moderator the Rt Rev John Christie said he hoped any new inquiry would clear the names of the two pilots.

“It is almost inconceivable now that it has been nearly 16-years since the Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre,” he said.

“And to think that after all that time, still the families of the victims are unable to properly move on because of what they see as a gross injustice.

“I sincerely hope that the Ministry of Defence does review the findings of the inquiry and while I cannot predict what that outcome will be, I hope that a great injustice can be set right.”

He reiterated his support for a 2004 statement from the Church of Scotland’s Church and Nation committee which called on the Ministry of Defence to reconsider the judgement of gross negligence upon the pilots of the Chinook.

Mr Christie said: “I wholeheartedly support this Deliverance. I understand that there were serious questions raised about the computer control system at the time and if there is any doubt about that it seems to me that the pilots could not be found guilty of gross negligence or held responsible for the accident.”