A petition demanding answers over one of the RAF’s worst peacetime disasters has now surpassed 25,000 signatures, as families of the victims accuse the Ministry of Defence of a decades-long cover-up.
The campaign centres on the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre, which claimed the lives of all 29 people on board, including 25 senior intelligence officials and four special forces crew members. The aircraft, RAF Chinook ZD576, went down on 2 June 1994 while en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness.
The crash was originally blamed on pilot error, a conclusion fiercely contested by the families for years, and ultimately overturned in 2011. But despite that ruling, key questions remain unanswered.
Century-Long File Seal Sparks Outrage
Public anger reignited last year following the broadcast of the BBC documentary Chinook: Zulu Delta 576, which revealed that government files related to the crash have been sealed for 100 years. The programme suggested that the Ministry of Defence may have suppressed vital information about the aircraft’s airworthiness and software faults.
In response, relatives of the victims launched a renewed campaign demanding full disclosure and accountability. Their petition calls for the release of all documents linked to the disaster, the establishment of a judge-led public inquiry, and a legally binding “duty of candour” for public bodies, ensuring no more families are forced to battle government departments for transparency.
“We have been denied truth, transparency and justice by the Ministry of Defence,” the petition reads. “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’.”
Allegations of Withheld Evidence
The families allege that critical evidence about the helicopter’s safety was ignored or buried and that ministers may have been misled over its airworthiness. The campaign also argues that the initial findings blaming the pilots diverted attention from deep systemic issues within the MoD and the Chinook’s procurement process.
The Chinook Justice Campaign, formed by the victims’ families, has welcomed the BBC’s decision to re-broadcast the documentary, saying it has helped unite their call for answers.
Dr Susan Phoenix, whose husband Ian died in the crash, said the secrecy surrounding the incident “raises serious questions” about MoD accountability. “Why seal files for a century? What are they hiding?” she asked.
Families Call for Legal Reform
Esme Sparks, who lost her father Major Gary Sparks in the crash, said the petition was not only about justice for the past but protection for the future. She is urging the Prime Minister to back legal reform that would make openness a requirement for all public institutions.
“We cannot allow this level of secrecy and wrongdoing to happen again,” she said. “The public deserves better. Our families deserve answers.”
The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment on the latest developments and the growing calls for a public inquiry.
