Chinook Justice Campaign Escalates Fight for Public Inquiry After 30 Years
The families of victims from a 1994 Chinook helicopter crash are escalating their three-decade fight for answers, compiling a list of 110 unresolved questions about the disaster that killed 25 intelligence experts and four special forces crew members. The Chinook Justice Campaign's petition, signed by more than 47,000 people, will be delivered to Downing Street on Tuesday alongside a letter to the Ministry of Defence, demanding a judge-led public inquiry into the tragedy that occurred on June 2, 1994.
The helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre while en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness. Initially attributed to pilot error, this determination was overturned in 2011, leaving fundamental questions about the incident unanswered. Among the critical questions posed by campaigners are who authorized the mission, why the specific aircraft type was selected, and whether passengers and crew were adequately warned of potential risks before the fatal flight.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's rejection of calls for a public inquiry has prompted families to declare they will "see the UK government in court." The campaign includes family members such as brothers Andy and Matt Tobias from Watford, Hertfordshire, whose father John Tobias was among those killed. The government's position that the crash was "a tragic accident" and that six previous inquiries suffice has failed to satisfy campaigners who argue crucial evidence remains unexamined.
David Hill, technical expert for the Chinook Justice Campaign, characterized the government's refusal to grant an inquiry coupled with the decision to seal key documents until 2094 as "a betrayal by the state." Hill stated that the list of 110 questions "explodes the myth" that no fresh evidence would emerge from a new inquiry, arguing that continuing secrecy undermines public trust in both the Ministry of Defence and the government itself. The campaign maintains that proper answers to their questions would help establish why 29 people were placed in what they describe as an "unairworthy aircraft."
