Former Defence Secretary Sir Liam Fox is calling for an inquiry into the 1994 Chinook disaster after claiming he may have been misled by officials. Sir Liam, who previously warned of a possible cover-up, has told the Prime Minister of his fears that key details were kept under wraps.
Background of the Tragedy
The crash on the Mull of Kintyre killed all 29 people on board, including 25 of the UK’s most senior intelligence and security personnel in Northern Ireland and four Special Forces crew. The ex-minister and former senior member of the official review which cleared the RAF pilots blamed for the crash spoke out as relatives marked the 32nd anniversary of the tragedy.
Sir Liam said evidence which has emerged since the Mull of Kintyre Review raises ‘deep concerns’ that ‘vital information may have been withheld from ministers and Parliament’ – and that information provided by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) ‘on the airworthiness of the aircraft was not correct’. The former Tory MP first spoke out in July last year when he told the Mail of his ‘disquiet that everything we needed to know may not have been available’.
Review and Allegations
Sir Liam commissioned the Mull of Kintyre Review in 2010 following years of criticism over the decision to blame the two pilots for the crash. That review, led by former Scots judge Lord Philip, quashed the finding of gross negligence. But in a letter to the Prime Minister on the eve of the anniversary, Sir Liam warned that evidence now available suggests the Chinook Mk2 helicopter involved was known by the MoD to be unairworthy and that key information may not have been disclosed to ministers, Parliament or previous investigations.
He said: ‘On the evidence that was available, we believed that the exact cause of the crash could not be established and that the decisions within the MoD, and the RAF in particular, were correct and that no cover-up had taken place. As more evidence has come to light, we have had increasing concerns that these statements may not be true and that vital information may have been withheld from ministers and Parliament.’
The letter, delivered to Sir Keir Starmer, states that MoD test engineers had described the Chinook’s FADEC software as ‘positively dangerous’ and that the aircraft itself had been classed as ‘not to be relied upon in any way whatsoever’ days before the crash. FADEC stands for Full Authority Digital Engine Control, which optimises engine performance and automates fuel regulation.
Sir Liam warned that previous inquiries focused too narrowly on allegations of pilot negligence while failing to examine ‘the fundamental question of why a known-unairworthy aircraft was permitted to fly’. His intervention follows the release last week of internal MoD documents under Freedom of Information laws which campaigners say show former RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir William Wratten attempting to ‘close down’ discussion of airworthiness concerns and alternative explanations for the crash.
Reactions from Families
Families of those killed described Sir Liam’s intervention as a turning-point. Andy Tobias, son of Lieutenant Colonel John Tobias MBE, said: ‘This is hugely significant and genuinely game-changing.’ He also described the MoD as the ‘Ministry of Deceit’. Jenni Balmer-Hornby, whose father Major Anthony Hornby was killed, added: ‘For 32 years, families have fought for the truth about why our loved ones were allowed to board an aircraft that was not fit to fly.’
Sir Liam said it is ‘essential to establish the truth behind these events.’ An MoD spokesman said: ‘The Chinook Justice Campaign (CJC) submitted a formal claim for judicial review in September 2025, and the MoD is focused on responding to that claim and to the allegations it contains. The MoD continues to engage with the CJC but we will not be offering comment on issues that are being considered as part of that independent process.’
