There was no way they could have survived missile attack Western Daily Press 9th December 2005 www.westpress.co.uk with thanks to Tristan Cork Email: t.cork@bepp.co.uk They died in a split second, it was not their fault, but there are serious lessons to be learned from the crash which killed 10 West airmen in Iraq. That was the verdict of an RAF Board of Inquiry, which concluded yesterday that enemy surface-to-air fire brought down a Hercules transport plane near Baghdad in January, killing all 10 on board. But it also revealed the crew were not told of earlier enemy fire in the area, should not have been made to fly so low in daylight, and did not have an in-built system to stop their wing exploding if was hit by a missile. At RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, where eight of the 10 who died were based, there was relief, sadness and pride.

The Station Commander paid tribute to his "gallant team of professionals" and spoke of the relief that, ultimately, no-one was to blame for the tragedy apart from the insurgents who shot the plane down.

Their lucky strike saw a missile of some kind hit the right wing of the Hercules plane. That sparked an explosion in the fuel tank, the wing was blown off and the plane spiralled in a split second into the ground.

But Defence Secretary John Reid announced a list of lessons to be learned from the crash, which took place on the last day of January, the day Iraqis went to the polls in their country's first free elections.

He paid tribute to those who died, saying: "These 10 brave men lost their lives while working in support of the coalition operation in Iraq. We owe them, and all our other personnel who daily confront danger, our respect and gratitude."

The board of inquiry report would make "painful reading" but should provide some comfort for those wanting answers to questions raised by the crash. Mr Reid said the board's findings showed three factors had contributed to the crash, which was not survivable.

They were that low-level daylight flying meant the aircraft was an easy target, the lack of a fuel tank safety system in the wing which allowed the tank to explode, and that the crew had not been told about other attacks in the area just before their plane was targeted. Already, the Ministry of Defence has stopped all but absolutely essential low-level daylight flights, is reviewing "with urgency" whether a fuel tank system to stop explosions can be installed, and has improved communications about attacks.

The shocking findings of the report revealed that just three hours before the plane was hit, two US helicopters were shot at just a kilometre or so from the Hercules crash site.

The information was passed to the Air Component headquarters but the significance of the earlier attack was not apparent to the staff there, so the information was not passed on to the Hercules crew, who were already airborne on their flight north from Baghdad.

The report states: "Ultimately, it is not possible to prove that the earlier surface-to-air fire (SAFIRE) and the loss of the Hercules were linked. However, the fact that the aircraft took off on a routine sortie without an accurate threat picture proves that the intelligence collation and dissemination system needs urgent review." The board concluded that the SAFIRE collation and dissemination process was a contributory factor in this incident."

Flowers at the entrance to RAF Lyneham served as a reminder of the human cost of the tragedy in this close-knit corner of North Wiltshire yesterday. The thousands of personnel at the base, and their families, have had to deal with their loss, the length of time it took for the bodies of their colleagues to be brought home, the funerals and inquests, and now the report.

Station Commander Group Captain Paul Oborn said it was an important hurdle to overcome for his base. "It's a great relief for all of us here at RAF Lyneham and for the families of the crew and passengers of this flight to finally bring closure to what has been a difficult and painful year for us. With Christmas looming, which is traditionally a time of year to reflect, we hope they will be able to put this behind them. Since January, we have tried to make sense of their deaths.

"They were great characters. They lived, laughed and fought together as a team and this has given us a good understanding of what happened to them."

Grp Cpt Oborn also said it was a relief to the families, who were given the chance to quiz the president of the board of inquiry, to have official acknowledgement that the crew were entirely blameless for the tragedy.

"This has been difficult for us because it has brought it all back," he added. Everyone knew someone who was touched by their deaths. They were described as "the best of the best", an extended Hercules crew from the Wiltshire base famous for being the first in and last out of any war or humanitarian crisis. The tragedy united North Wiltshire in grief - everyone knew someone who was touched by the horror that unfolded on the last day of January.

First there was the announcement that a plane was missing. Then the wreckage was found, and then, most heartbreakingly of all, there was the grainy footage aired on Arabic TV stations, of insurgents apparently shooting down the Hercules over the suburbs to the north of Baghdad.

Of the 10 men who died, eight lived, breathed and slept Hercules at RAF Lyneham. They were the pilots Flight Lieutenant David Stead, 35, whose wife worked at the village's infants school, Flt Lt Paul Pardoel - an Australian whose family lived opposite the entrance to the base, and Flt Lt Andrew Smith, 25.

The other crew members from Lyneham: Master Air Engineer Gary 'Nic' Nicholson, 42, Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson,34, Chief Technician Richard Brown, 40, , Sergeant Bob O'Connor, 38 and Corporal David Williams, 37.

The other two men who died were passengers: Squadron Leader Patrick Marshall, 39, who served with RAF strike command in High Wycombe and Lance Corporal Steven Jones, 25, who served with the Royal Signals.