Latest news with #EsmeSparks
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Thousands sign petition seeking truth about Mull of Kintyre Chinook helicopter disaster
25 senior intelligence experts, as well as four special forces crew, were killed when an RAF Chinook ZD576 helicopter crashed in 1994 A petition demanding answers about the Chinook disaster, which took 29 lives over three decades ago, has been signed by tens of thousands of individuals. The crash of RAF Chinook ZD576 helicopter on the Mull of Kintyre in western Scotland resulted in the deaths of 25 top intelligence experts and four special forces crew members. The helicopter was en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness in June 1994. Initially, the incident was attributed to pilot error, a decision that was subsequently reversed in 2011. Last year, the BBC aired a documentary titled 'Chinook: Zulu Delta 576' investigating the tragedy, revealing that related files had been sealed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for a century. In the wake of the crash, the victims' families were left heartbroken and have since accused the MoD of a 'cover-up', demanding the release of all documents and a judge-led public inquiry into the incident, reports the Express. They are calling on the UK Government to impose a legal 'duty of candour' on all public bodies to ensure "no family has to ever battle for the truth again". "Twenty-nine people boarded Chinook ZD576 on 2 June 1994, all of them died," reads the petition, which has garnered over 25,000 signatures. "31 years later, we - their families - still have no answers. We have been denied truth, transparency and justice by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). "Our loved ones were forced to board an RAF helicopter with fatal software flaws that MoD test engineers had deemed 'positively dangerous' and 'not to be relied upon in any way whatsoever'. "We know key evidence was withheld or ignored in previous investigations. Former ministers say they were misled by the MoD and doubt airworthiness issues were investigated properly." The BBC has chosen to broadcast the documentary again this month, a move that has been praised by the families, with the opening episode screening this Sunday (August 17) at 9pm on BBC 2, followed by the second instalment a week afterwards. Family members have established The Chinook Justice Campaign and continue to call for openness from the MoD. Esme Sparks, whose father Major Gary Sparks perished in the tragedy, urged additional backing for the petition to stop future instances of "secrecy and wrongdoing". In response, an MoD spokesman said: "The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died. "The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review. "The closed records held at The National Archives contain personal information relating to third-party individuals. The early release of this information would breach those individuals' data protection rights."
Western Telegraph
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Families of Chinook crash victims to launch legal action against MoD
They want a High Court judge to be able to review information which they say was not included in previous investigations, and which they believe will shed new light on the airworthiness of the helicopter. RAF Chinook ZD576 was carrying 25 British intelligence personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to a conference at Fort George near Inverness when it crashed in foggy weather on June 2, 1994. All 25 passengers – made up of personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army – were killed, along with the helicopter's four crew members. The families of the victims, who have coalesced into the Chinook Justice Campaign, said failing to order a public inquiry is a breach of the UK Government's human rights obligations. They were put on board an aircraft that was known to be positively dangerous and should never have taken off Solicitor Mark Stephens, for the Chinook Justice Campaign In a letter to the Government 31 years after the crash, the group said: 'The investigations conducted to date, whether considered individually or in combination, have failed to discharge the investigative duty.' They have also called for the release of documents that were sealed at the time of the crash for 100 years, something revealed in a BBC documentary last year. Solicitor Mark Stephens, who is representing the families, said: 'In this case, the families of those who were killed have seen more than enough evidence to convince them, and us, that there was a failure by the MoD to apply appropriate safeguards in order to protect the passengers and crew. 'In fact, they were put on board an aircraft that was known to be positively dangerous and should never have taken off. 'That is why we are seeking a judicial review into the Government's failure to hold a public inquiry – which the families have sought for more than a year.' We don't want to have to take legal action against the Government and MoD but we do want and need answers surrounding the circumstance of this crash Esme Sparks, The Chinook Justice Campaign Following the crash, the Chinook's pilots, Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, were accused of gross negligence, but this verdict was overturned by the UK Government 17 years later, following a campaign by the families. A subsequent review by Lord Philip set out 'numerous concerns' raised by those who worked on the Chinooks, with the MoD's testing centre at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire declaring the Chinook Mk2 helicopters 'unairworthy' prior to the crash. Esme Sparks, who was seven years old when her father Major Gary Sparks was killed in the crash, said: 'We don't want to have to take legal action against the Government and MoD but we do want and need answers surrounding the circumstance of this crash. 'We want to know who or what is being protected? Who made the decision to let this helicopter take off? What is being hidden? In our view, a public inquiry is key.' Andy Tobias, who was eight when his father, Lt Col John Tobias, 41, was killed, said: 'It's clear to me that a complete lack of duty of care was given to those passengers because they got on a Chinook that wasn't fit for flight. 'And really, the government need to show their duty of candour and really be open and transparent about what's in those documents and give us the opportunity to really understand anything that's in them that could give us more answers about what happened.' The MoD said that records held in The National Archives contain personal information and early release of those documents would breach their data protection rights. An MoD spokesperson said: 'The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died.'
