Open Letter to MPs and Peers
Open Letter to MPs and Peers from The Chinook Justice Campaign
25 May 2025
We are the families of those killed in the RAF Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994. Many of us have never spoken publicly about the crash. We are doing so now after learning that the Ministry of Defence has sealed documents relating to the crash for 100 years. We are writing to all MPs and Peers on the eve of the 31st anniversary to make you aware of the concerns we have about the crash and to seek your support.
We want access to all documents relating to the tragedy, answers about the circumstances of the crash and accountability for what happened. Despite this Government's promises about a Duty of Candour, we have been denied this by the Ministry of Defence. This Duty must apply to all areas of Government, especially where it is clear that the truth has been concealed.
The RAF helicopter was carrying our loved ones; our husbands, our fathers, our brothers and a daughter. They were 25 British intelligence personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the British Army. The two pilots were both exemplary United Kingdom Special Forces pilots, and the entire crew had outstanding service records. They all bravely put themselves in danger every day of their professional lives in service of their country. Their families unquestioningly supported them.
Last year, a BBC documentary discovered that documents relating to the crash have been sealed by the Government for 100 years. Families were not aware that there was anything so secret about the crash that papers should be locked away for a century and this has caused huge concern and upset. The papers will not be released until 2094, long after the spouses and children of those killed have themselves passed away. It is unbearable to us as bereaved families to know that this sealed information could give us the answers we need. As a result, most of the families of those who died have set up the Chinook Justice Campaign. We are asking for transparency, for documents to be released, and for the first time a full public inquiry into the circumstances of the crash so that there is accountability.
What the Ministry of Defence knew then, and what they know now, should be revealed. Instead, we are left with concern of cover-up and a lack of transparency and honesty. There have been a number of investigations over the years, and these have given rise to more questions than answers. None have had the powers or remit to demand release of all documentation relating to the crash from the Ministry of Defence, and they did not fully and fearlessly examine the circumstances of the crash. None have examined the significant unanswered questions that remain.
An RAF Board of Inquiry concluded that the most probable cause of the crash was an inappropriate rate of climb but no evidence either pilot was negligent. That was overturned by two RAF Air Marshals who insisted that the crash was caused by gross negligence of the pilots. That was manifestly ill-founded and, ultimately, the Mull of Kintyre Review by Lord Philip recommended that the MoD apologise to the families of the pilots. That same review set out numerous concerns raised by those who worked on the Chinooks. Those concerns have never been properly investigated. Before the accident, the Ministry of Defence's testing centre at Boscombe Down declared the Boeing Chinook Mk2 helicopters unairworthy. The same assessors confirmed matters had deteriorated on 2 June 1994.
A Government which believes in transparency must surely see that this should be properly investigated with no stone left unturned?
Wives, children, and families left behind deserve answers about why our loved ones never came home. They would never have boarded the helicopter had they known it was not airworthy. They would have had long, full lives and would have lived to see their children and grandchildren grow up.
The campaign formally requested an inquiry by letter of 09 October 2024. Despite the Government's commitments over Hillsborough Law and the Duty of Candour, Alistair Carns OBE MC MP, Minister for Veterans and People, rejected the request by letter of 17 December 2024. The response was short and dismissive, and failed entirely to engage with the very serious and detailed concerns raised. The campaign has sent further representations and asked for a meeting. We have not had a response from the Minister and a year on from setting up the campaign, we are impatient for a reply.
After the Labour Government’s promises on Hillsborough Law and the Duty of Candour which holds public bodies to account, we were shocked and saddened not to be given assurances on this matter. Surely those who died in service of their country deserve the same Duty of Candour that this Government promises?
Please join us in asking the Ministry of Defence to finally give our loved ones the dignity of an independent judge-led public inquiry and to take our concerns seriously.
Yours faithfully,
The Families of:
Major Richard Allen RGBW
Colonel Christopher John Biles OBE, late D&D
Detective Chief Inspector Dennis Stanley Bunting
Detective Chief Superintendent Desmond Patrick Conroy QGM BEM
Flight Lieutenant Richard David Cook RAF
Detective Superintendent Philip George Davidson
Detective Inspector Stephen Davidson
Major Christopher John Dockerty PWO
Assistant Chief Constable John Charles Brian Fitzsimons MBE
Detective Superintendent Robert Patrick Foster
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Lawrence Gregory-Smith Intelligence Corps
Detective Superintendent William Rutherford Gwilliam
Sergeant Kevin Andrew Hardie RAF
John Stuart Haynes MBE
Major Anthony Robert Hornby MBE QLR
Detective Inspector Kevin Michael Magee
Michael Bruce Maltby
Detective Chief Superintendent Maurice McLaughlin Neilly
Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix
Major Gary Paul Sparks RA
Flight Lieutenant Jonathan Paul Tapper RAF
Lieutenant Colonel John Tobias MBE Intelligence Corps