Families say UK government ministers meeting was ‘constructive’

Families of those killed in a Chinook helicopter crash in Scotland more than 30 years ago have said their first meeting with UK government ministers was “constructive and serious”.

Four crew and 25 passengers were killed when the helicopter, carrying senior security personnel from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, went down in June 1994.

The families of victims have long campaigned for a judge-led public inquiry into the crash, which the prime minister has rejected.

In a statement, a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said the crash was a “tragic accident” and ministers would listen to families’ concerns “first hand”.

The families met three ministers from the MoD, as well as the Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones, in London on Tuesday.

Representatives of the Chinook Justice Campaign said in the meeting, details and evidence around the airworthiness of the helicopter were discussed.

They said ministers appeared “surprised” by the evidence presented and welcomed a “clear commitment” from the government to review the evidence in full.

Ministers also committed to ongoing engagement with the families, and indicated that a further meeting would take place following their review of the evidence.

Earlier, Des Conroy, whose father Desmond, a detective chief superintendent in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), died in the crash, said families want the “truth” about what happened, particularly regarding the airworthiness of the helicopter.

Speaking to BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster programme before the meeting, Mr Conroy said he was hopeful he would feel that he was both listened to by the ministers and that they would be willing to take action.

“All we want is the truth,” he said.

“These 29 people should not have been put aboard this aircraft and I’m only here for my father, to try and get him the truth.”

He added that he was 21 when his father was killed, and this had caused devastation to the “tight-knit family unit”.

Alliance MP Sorcha Eastwood, who accompanied the Chinook Justice Campaign in Tuesday’s meeting, said it was “almost unbelievable” it was the first time families were meeting ministers over the disaster.

The Lagan Valley MP told Good Morning Ulster families were owed the “basic truth” of what happened to their loved ones.

An MoD spokesperson acknowledged that “the lack of certainty” about the cause of the crash had added to the distress for families.

They added four ministers, including the Defence Minister Lord Coaker and Veterans Minister Louise Sandher-Jones would meet representatives from the Chinook Justice Campaign to “listen to their concerns first hand”.

The spokesperson said the MoD had received the campaign group’s formal claim for a judicial review of the decision to reject the demand for a judge-led inquiry into the crash.

They said its focus is on responding to the claim and “the allegations contained within it”.

“The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review,” the spokesperson added.

Twenty-nine people, four crew and 25 intelligence experts – including personnel from MI5, the RUC, the Army and RAF – were killed when RAF Chinook ZD576, which had taken off from RAF Aldergrove, struck a hillside in foggy conditions over the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994.

Everyone on board was killed.

The crash was initially blamed on pilot error, a finding that was overturned in 2011.

A Scottish fatal accident inquiry concluded it was impossible to establish the exact cause of the crash.

Documents related to the incident have been sealed by the MoD until 2094, although families of the victims had wanted High Court judges to review information.