Now ANOTHER member of the review panel that cleared pilots calls for Chinook inquiry

By CLAIRE ELLIOT, SCOTTISH GENERAL NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:02, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 19:25, 17 June 2026 A former MP who helped to clear the pilots blamed for the Chinook disaster has joined calls for a fresh inquiry. All 29 people on board the RAF helicopter died when it crashed on the Mull of Kintyre on June 2, 1994. The Ministry of Defence initially put the cause of the crash down to pilot error but this was ruled out following a review in 2010, and it has since emerged there were concerns over the airworthiness of the aircraft. The bereaved families have secured a high court hearing next month in their bid for a judicial review into the UK government’s refusal to order a fresh inquiry into the crash. Lawyers acting for the families say one of the principal arguments from the government against their request is that the case has been brought too late. But Lord Malcolm Bruce, a former Liberal Democrat MP who sat on the review panel that cleared pilots Flight Lieutenants Rick Cook and Jonathan Tapper, yesterday added his weight to the campaign saying it was ‘not too late to seek the truth’. Writing in The Scotsman newspaper, the peer said the panel had ‘rightly cleared’ the pilots, but it did not investigate the wider circumstances surrounding the disaster. He added: ‘If there has been a cover-up, it must be exposed. Flight Lieutenants Jonathan Tapper (left) and Richard Cook, the two pilots of an RAF Chinook  which crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994 Former defence secretary Sir Liam Fox (centre) arrives to hand in a letter to 10 Downing Street, London, joined by some of the families affected by the Chinook Helicopter crash  ‘Telling bereaved families that they are unable to get to the truth because they’ve taken too long, would be piling injustice on top of a travesty of justice. ‘The review on which I served corrected one injustice. The time has come to consider whether another carefully constructed review might finally answer the questions that still distress the families of 29 victims. Thirty-two years is a long time. But it is not too late to seek the truth.’ His call follows that of former Scottish secretary Helen Liddell, another panel member, who claimed she had been ‘deliberately misled’ by officials. Former defence secretary Sir Liam Fox, who ordered the initial probe, previously claimed that subsequent evidence suggested the software used to regulate the aircraft’s engine was known by the Ministry of Defence to be flawed. Andy Tobias, son of Lieutenant Colonel John Tobias, who died in the crash, said: ‘We have spent 32 years trying to understand why our loved ones were allowed to board an aircraft which evidence shows was not fit to fly. ‘It is hard to comprehend that after decades of unanswered questions, the response could simply be, “you should have discovered the truth sooner”.’ Human rights lawyer Mark Stephens, who represents the families, said: ‘If the state has failed to act with candour, if information has been withheld and people have been misdirected, it cannot then turn around and say, “you are too late”. That would be a travesty of justice piled on top of a cover-up.’ Wreckage of the Chinook Helicopter which crashed on the Mull of Kintyre killing all 29 on board The MoD said it ‘continues to engage with the Chinook Justice Campaign (CJC)’. A spokesman said: ‘Defence ministers have met with campaign representatives to listen to their concerns, and the CJC also met with the Ministry of Justice Victims Minister in March 2026. ‘The CJC submitted a formal claim for Judicial Review in September 2025, and the MoD is focused on responding fully to that claim and to the allegations it contains.’ The spokesman added: ‘We will not be offering comment on issues that are being considered as part of that independent process.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.