MoD 'aware of Chinook faults but still blamed pilots for crash'

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 20:47, 27 May 2026 | Updated: 20:50, 27 May 2026 Defence officials were aware of serious airworthiness concerns about an RAF Chinook which crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994, campaigners claim. They say new documents show test pilots and technical experts were worried about potential control malfunctions and other issues – while the Ministry of Defence (MoD) continued to blame the two Special Forces pilots. The files released relate to the disaster which killed all 29 people on board, including the crew and officers from MI5, the Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Chinook Justice Campaign, which is pushing for a public inquiry, said the documents reveal internal correspondence which highlights a ‘determination’ within the MoD to ‘close off’ further discussion of those safety issues and reinforce the conclusion of pilot negligence. Sir Keir Starmer has said he would look again at relatives’ concerns after they accused his government of a ‘breach of trust’. The Mark 2 Chinook was flying from Northern Ireland to Scotland when it crashed on the Mull of Kintyre on June 2, 1994. Pilots Jonathan Tapper, left, and Rick Cook were blamed for the crash in 1994 Wreckage of the Chinook at the Mull of Kintyre The campaign group said the new documents prove that officials were ‘aware of serious airworthiness concerns about the helicopter, while actively seeking to protect the official narrative blaming the pilots and shutting down alternative explanations’. In one document, Air Marshal Sir William Wratten appears to outline plans to respond to emerging alternative theories in a way which was ‘designed to shut down further debate’, and other papers show sustained efforts to rebut concerns about possible technical faults. Sir William and colleague Sir John Day, who died in 2024, overruled the RAF Board of Inquiry in order to blame the pilots for gross negligence, a decision which the campaign group said contravened the RAF’s rules. Chris Cook, from Hampshire, whose brother Rick was one of the two dead pilots blamed, said the documents ‘show credible concerns about airworthiness were being raised, yet instead of properly investigating them, the Ministry of Defence moved to close down discussion’. Sir William was contacted for comment. An MoD spokesman said: ‘The MoD continues to engage with the Chinook Justice Campaign.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.