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Technical fault grounded Nimrod Nimrod downed by 'design fault'
(about 4 hours later)
A technical problem grounded an RAF Nimrod plane due to be shown as part of an inquest into the deaths of 14 men in Afghanistan, the coroner has heard. The explosion which downed a spy plane in Afghanistan killing 14 servicemen on board was due to a "fundamental design fault" an inquest has heard.
Relatives were due to view the plane but a hydraulic problem meant a second plane had to be shown at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, last week. The coroner had before heard it was because fuel leaked into a dry bay and ignited on contact with a hot air pipe.
The coroner had asked lawyers if a fuel leak - a key issue during the inquest - had caused the replacement. But on Tuesday, a senior RAF officer said a mistake was made during a hazard assessment of the Nimrod which could have identified that risk.
The men died after the Nimrod exploded after refuelling in September 2006. It exploded minutes after refuelling in Afghanistan in September 2006.
The relatives viewed the identical plane a week ago, but coroner Andrew Walker asked lawyers at the Oxford inquest whether it was because of a fuel leak. Hindsight on hazard
'Jack failure' Air Commodore George Baber told the inquest at Oxford Coroners Court that had they known then what they knew now, the Nimrod would not have been passed as safe to fly.
David Evans, representing the Ministry of Defence, told the court on Tuesday that it was right that the aircraft was not the one they had "originally planned" to show the families. He led an Integrated Project Team (IPT), who with BAE systems carried out a comprehensive hazard analysis of the plane.
But he said it was replaced due to a "nose-wheel hydraulic jack failure". We failed to catch that the design flaw. The consequences were catastrophic Air CommodoreGeorge Baber
When hazards were identified and categorised at a meeting in August 2004, he said, the possibility of an explosion in the dry bay was graded in as "improbable".
It should have been graded higher and warranted further action, he admitted.
The design flaw was to have fuel in the same compartment as a hot air pipe, he said.
He told the inquest: "At the heart of this was a fundamental design flaw. This hazard assessment process was an opportunity to catch any inherent design flaw.
"We failed to catch that design flaw. The consequences were catastrophic and that is why we are here today."
He described the categorising mistake as a "failure".
Buck stopped
Asked by Michael Rawlinson, the lawyer representing the families of the dead servicemen, whether the Nimrod was safe to fly, Air Commodore Baber answered: "I find it difficult to answer because the simple answer is 'no' because we had an accident.
"Any aircraft we fly carry hazards all the time. Clearly if we knew then what we know now we would not have flown the aircraft."
As head of the IPT, he said he was responsible for deciding whether the aircraft was airworthy and the buck stopped with him.
The men died when a 37-year-old Nimrod exploded after undergoing air-to-air refuelling near Kandahar on September 2, 2006.
The crew on Nimrod XV230 had no means of tackling the initial fire and were forced to attempt an emergency descent to the air base. But it exploded into flames at 3,000ft.
Plane grounded
Earlier, the coroner heard how a technical problem grounded an RAF Nimrod plane due to be shown as part of the inquest.
Relatives were to view the plane but a hydraulic problem meant a second plane had to be shown at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, last week.
The Nimrod and most of the crew had been based at RAF Kinloss, in Moray.The Nimrod and most of the crew had been based at RAF Kinloss, in Moray.
The 14 men killed were:The 14 men killed were:
Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, 38, from Collingham, Nottinghamshire, Flt Lt Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore, 28, from Bournemouth, Dorset, Flt Lt Gareth Rodney Nicholas, 40, from Redruth, Cornwall, Flt Lt Allan James Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge, Merseyside and Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, from Liverpool.Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, 38, from Collingham, Nottinghamshire, Flt Lt Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore, 28, from Bournemouth, Dorset, Flt Lt Gareth Rodney Nicholas, 40, from Redruth, Cornwall, Flt Lt Allan James Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge, Merseyside and Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, from Liverpool.
Also Flight Sergeant Gary Wayne Andrews, 48, from Tankerton, Kent, Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, from Dundee, Flt Sgt Gerard Martin Bell, 48, from Newport, Shropshire, and Flt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Sergeant Benjamin James Knight, 25, from Bridgwater, Sgt John Joseph Langton, 29,from Liverpool and Sgt Gary Paul Quilliam, 42, from Manchester.Also Flight Sergeant Gary Wayne Andrews, 48, from Tankerton, Kent, Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, from Dundee, Flt Sgt Gerard Martin Bell, 48, from Newport, Shropshire, and Flt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, Sergeant Benjamin James Knight, 25, from Bridgwater, Sgt John Joseph Langton, 29,from Liverpool and Sgt Gary Paul Quilliam, 42, from Manchester.
Lance Corporal Oliver Simon Dicketts, of the Parachute Regiment, from Wadhurst, East Sussex, and Royal Marine Joseph David Windall, 22, from Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire, also died.Lance Corporal Oliver Simon Dicketts, of the Parachute Regiment, from Wadhurst, East Sussex, and Royal Marine Joseph David Windall, 22, from Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire, also died.
The inquest continues.The inquest continues.