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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| RAF Nimrod crash report awaited | RAF Nimrod crash report awaited |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| An inquiry into an RAF Nimrod plane crash, which killed all 14 people on board, is due to be published by the Ministry of Defence. | |
| The Nimrod MR2 aircraft, call sign XV230, exploded in Afghanistan in September last year while on an intelligence-gathering mission. | The Nimrod MR2 aircraft, call sign XV230, exploded in Afghanistan in September last year while on an intelligence-gathering mission. |
| It caused the biggest loss of life among British forces in a single incident since the Falklands War. | It caused the biggest loss of life among British forces in a single incident since the Falklands War. |
| The MoD has defended the plane's safety record after concerns about fuel leaks. | The MoD has defended the plane's safety record after concerns about fuel leaks. |
| Bomb bay fire | Bomb bay fire |
| The findings of the MoD's Board of Inquiry, to be announced later to MPs by Defence Secretary Des Browne, are expected to reveal the cause of the Nimrod blast, which happened shortly after air-to-air refuelling over southern Afghanistan. | The findings of the MoD's Board of Inquiry, to be announced later to MPs by Defence Secretary Des Browne, are expected to reveal the cause of the Nimrod blast, which happened shortly after air-to-air refuelling over southern Afghanistan. |
| Many questions have been raised over the ageing Nimrod fleet, and whether cost pressures led the MoD to skimp on safety. | Many questions have been raised over the ageing Nimrod fleet, and whether cost pressures led the MoD to skimp on safety. |
| There are... a host of unanswered questions about the safety of the ageing Nimrod fleet as a whole which the Ministry of Defence must answer Angus Robertson MP | There are... a host of unanswered questions about the safety of the ageing Nimrod fleet as a whole which the Ministry of Defence must answer Angus Robertson MP |
| The pilot had reported a fire in the bomb bay - but the families of those who died want to know exactly what caused it, and whether more effective safety measures could have averted the tragedy. | The pilot had reported a fire in the bomb bay - but the families of those who died want to know exactly what caused it, and whether more effective safety measures could have averted the tragedy. |
| Graham Knight - the father of Ben Knight, who died in the XV230 explosion - has said he believes his son's death could have been averted if safety warnings had been acted upon. | Graham Knight - the father of Ben Knight, who died in the XV230 explosion - has said he believes his son's death could have been averted if safety warnings had been acted upon. |
| Mr Knight told BBC Radio 4 of the inquiry: "Something good has to come out of something so awful, and I hope it leads to the aircraft being safer to fly." | Mr Knight told BBC Radio 4 of the inquiry: "Something good has to come out of something so awful, and I hope it leads to the aircraft being safer to fly." |
| Westminster SNP leader Angus Robertson MP, who represents the Nimrods' home base at RAF Kinloss in Moray, has written to Mr Browne ahead of the report's publication with a number of detailed questions he wants answered. | Westminster SNP leader Angus Robertson MP, who represents the Nimrods' home base at RAF Kinloss in Moray, has written to Mr Browne ahead of the report's publication with a number of detailed questions he wants answered. |
| "Everybody hopes that the inquiry will answer all of the relevant questions about the Nimrod which crashed in Afghanistan and help avoid a repeat of the tragedy," he said. | "Everybody hopes that the inquiry will answer all of the relevant questions about the Nimrod which crashed in Afghanistan and help avoid a repeat of the tragedy," he said. |
| "There are, however, a host of unanswered questions about the safety of the ageing Nimrod fleet as a whole which the Ministry of Defence must answer." | "There are, however, a host of unanswered questions about the safety of the ageing Nimrod fleet as a whole which the Ministry of Defence must answer." |
| NIMROD CRASH VICTIMS Flt Lt Allan Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge, MerseysideFlt Lt Steven Johnson, 38, from Collingham, NottinghamshireFlt Lt Gareth Nicholas, 40, from Redruth, CornwallFlt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, from LiverpoolFlt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, 28, from Bournemouth, DorsetFlt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, from Amersham, BuckinghamshireFlt Sgt Gary Wayne Andrews, 48, from Tankerton, KentFlt Sgt Gerard Bell, 48, from Newport, ShropshireFlt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, from DundeeSgt Gary Paul Quilliam, 42, from ManchesterSgt Ben Knight, 25, from BridgewaterSgt John Langton, 29, from LiverpoolMarine Joseph Windall, 22 from Hazlemere L/Cpl Oliver Dicketts, from Wadhurst | NIMROD CRASH VICTIMS Flt Lt Allan Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge, MerseysideFlt Lt Steven Johnson, 38, from Collingham, NottinghamshireFlt Lt Gareth Nicholas, 40, from Redruth, CornwallFlt Lt Steven Swarbrick, 28, from LiverpoolFlt Lt Leigh Mitchelmore, 28, from Bournemouth, DorsetFlt Sgt Adrian Davies, 49, from Amersham, BuckinghamshireFlt Sgt Gary Wayne Andrews, 48, from Tankerton, KentFlt Sgt Gerard Bell, 48, from Newport, ShropshireFlt Sgt Stephen Beattie, 42, from DundeeSgt Gary Paul Quilliam, 42, from ManchesterSgt Ben Knight, 25, from BridgewaterSgt John Langton, 29, from LiverpoolMarine Joseph Windall, 22 from Hazlemere L/Cpl Oliver Dicketts, from Wadhurst |
| Six Nimrods were sent out to Afghanistan and Iraq, flying lengthy missions, often using air-to-air refuelling to keep them in the air for longer. | Six Nimrods were sent out to Afghanistan and Iraq, flying lengthy missions, often using air-to-air refuelling to keep them in the air for longer. |
| The MR2 aircraft that came down was almost 40 years old, and should have left service years ago, but its replacement, the MRA4, will not be ready until at least 2011. | The MR2 aircraft that came down was almost 40 years old, and should have left service years ago, but its replacement, the MRA4, will not be ready until at least 2011. |
| Critics have blamed cost-cutting by the Treasury and the MoD for the delays to its introduction. | Critics have blamed cost-cutting by the Treasury and the MoD for the delays to its introduction. |
| John Nichol, the former RAF navigator who was shot down in the first Gulf war, told BBC Radio 4: "Most people say the military are trying to do far too much with far too little. | John Nichol, the former RAF navigator who was shot down in the first Gulf war, told BBC Radio 4: "Most people say the military are trying to do far too much with far too little. |
| He said that when military chiefs say publicly that crew safety is paramount, "what they actually mean is the safety of the crew is important weighed against the need for on-going military operations." | He said that when military chiefs say publicly that crew safety is paramount, "what they actually mean is the safety of the crew is important weighed against the need for on-going military operations." |
| The Nimrod was originally designed as a sea patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, but is now considered vital to British troops on the ground, especially in Afghanistan, acting as their eyes in the sky gathering intelligence over enemy positions. | The Nimrod was originally designed as a sea patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, but is now considered vital to British troops on the ground, especially in Afghanistan, acting as their eyes in the sky gathering intelligence over enemy positions. |
| The MoD previously defended the RAF Nimrod fleet, saying if it did not have confidence in the aircraft it "would not continue to fly them". | The MoD previously defended the RAF Nimrod fleet, saying if it did not have confidence in the aircraft it "would not continue to fly them". |