RAF was told Nimrods unsafe - claim
Updated on 27 October 2007
RAF officials ignored warnings that its Nimrod aircraft were unsafe before one exploded over Afghanistan, it has been claimed.
Graham Knight, from Bridgwater, said leaked emails had exposed a "horrifying can of worms" surrounding the death of his son Ben, 25, who was one of the 14 airmen killed.
Mr Knight obtained a freedom of information request detailing how, two years before the accident, the Ministry of Defence did not act on manufacturer BAE Systems' recommendations that a fire detection system should be fitted.
He also claims to have received internal RAF emails leaked by servicemen concerned over the safety of the aircraft they fly.
Mr Knight said: "The more I have dug, the deeper the conspiracy gets - essentially, I think the major failures have been down to communication problems. I have had these leaked emails. They are from high ranking officers detailing the problems with the fuel leaks. They started in December 2005 and the last one was reported in February 2006.
"Since launching my investigations I have had a lot of people contact me from the RAF and MoD. There are so many people within the organisations who are not happy with what has been going on."
The incident in Afghanistan in September last year remains the single biggest loss of life suffered by Britain's armed forces since the Falklands War. Mr Knight has spent more than 13 months investigating what caused his son's plane to crash.
It is understood the MoD rejected BAE Systems' safety proposal, made in August 2004, on the basis that it was unlikely to be effective.
BAE's safety report was prepared because the Nimrod aircraft, originally introduced in 1969 and due to go out of service in 1995, had to continue flying on operations over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Responding to Mr Knight's comments, the MoD said in a statement: "RAF Nimrod aircraft are designed and certified to strict airworthiness and safety standards. If we didn't have confidence in the aircraft, we would not continue to fly them. The Board of Inquiry to establish the cause of the accident last September is continuing and it would be unhelpful to speculate on the outcome until the Board's findings are published."
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