Calls for fresh inquiry into 1994 Chinook crash

The crash left no survivors in 1994

The son of a man who died in an infamous helicopter crash claims his father was loaded onto a "very dangerous prototype" amid calls for a fresh inquiry.

Det Supt Ian Phoenix, of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, died along with 28 others when a Chinook helicopter crashed in the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland after leaving Northern Ireland in 1994.

His son Niven Phoenix, as well as the families of those killed, handed a petition into Downing Street on Tuesday calling for a judge-led inquiry into the crash.

But an MoD spokesperson said they will not launch another review into the "tragic accident" which has already had six inquiries and investigations, including an independent judge-led review.

Mr Phoenix said his father and his colleagues were 'loaded onto a very dangerous prototype'

Mr Phoenix, from Malmesbury in Wiltshire, said The Chinook Justice Campaign group has now released 110 "critical questions" about the tragedy and has collected more than 47,000 signatures on its petition.

The helicopter was en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness when it went down, killing everyone on board.

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

Among the 110 questions, the campaign asks who authorised the mission, why that aircraft type was selected, and whether passengers and crew were warned of the risks.

Campaigners handed Downing Street its petition on Tuesday

Mr Phoenix told BBC Radio Wiltshire the helicopter was an upgrade to its previous model, adding the Royal Ulster Constabulary appealed to the Royal Air Force (RAF) to stop flying it.

"Essentially, my father and his colleagues were loaded onto a very dangerous prototype," he said.

"This isn't about pilot error, this is about a complete failure in the air-worthiness certification of that aircraft."

Mr Phoenix was 21 years old and training to be a pilot when he found out the news.

He said his father was "a great figure, a lovely kind man" and he sees "shades of my father in my son which is beautiful to see".

An MoD spokesperson said the authority understood that the lack of certainty about the cause of the crash has added to the distress of the families.

"We have now received the Chinook Justice Campaign's formal claim for a Judicial Review of our decision to reject the demand for a judge-led inquiry into the circumstances of the crash.

"Our focus is on responding to that claim and to the allegations contained within it and we are unable to comment further at this time," they added.