Browne apologises for Nimrod failings
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has apologised after a fuel leak was identified as the likely cause of a plane crash that killed 14 British servicemen.
The Nimrod XV230 crashed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, last September after a fire broke out on board.
The accident left no survivors and marked the single largest loss of life since the Falklands War.
Opposition politicians and the families of those servicemen killed have since claimed the MoD ignored safety warnings over the Nimrod fleet and delayed a necessary upgrade due to budgetary restrictions.
Defence secretary Des Browne today presented the MoD Board of Inquiry’s (BoI) report to the House of Commons.
Mr Browne told MPs the BoI had found a number of failings for which the MoD must take responsibility.
He said: “On behalf of the MOD and the Royal Air Force, I would like to apologise to the House of Commons, and most of all to those who lost their lives, and to their families.
“I am sorry.”
The BoI report concluded it was unable to firmly ascertain the cause of the crash but it most likely occurred when leaking fuel ignited against a hot pipe.
In its conclusion, the BoI made 33 recommendations and Mr Browne told MPs that the “vast majority” had already been implemented.
The defence secretary said he accepted the chief of air staff’s professional judgment that the Nimrod fleet was safe to fly.
But he has ordered a further review to insure the airworthiness and safe operation of the Nimrod MR2. This will examine all papers and interview anyone in a position to assist, including BAE Systems and Qinetiq.
In a statement the department said: “The MoD takes seriously the duty of care it owes to its servicemen and women, and will consider the lessons to be learned from the sad loss of this aircraft and its crew.”
The Conservatives claimed the MoD failed to act on prior warnings Nimrod was unsafe, including a failure to tackle fuel leaks.
Shadow defence minister Gerald Howarth said: “With an average of 40 fire-related incidents a year for the past 20 years, and 52 fuel leaks in a six month period last year, both the RAF and the manufacturer were acutely aware of the potential hazards arising from the Nimrod’s ageing systems.
“The MoD has received repeated warnings about problems with fuel leaks in the Nimrod but failed to tackle the problem.”
Mr Howarth said Nimrod should have been replaced by MRA4 four years ago and insisted “it is nothing short of a scandal that the new aircraft will not enter service for at least another four years.”
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Willie Rennie echoed claims early warning signs went unheeded.
Mr Rennie said today: “It is a disgrace that we are still relying on an aircraft which is almost 40 years old and was originally intended for hunting Russian submarines.”
He added: “This government is changing the ethos of the armed forces from can-do to make-do.”
