Hercules safety change not made
Swindon Advertiser
www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk
2nd April 2008
A safety measure that could have saved 10 servicemen, including two from Swindon, on a plane shot down in Iraq, was not a priority, an inquest heard.

An RAF Warrant Officer, called witness CD, who is now deceased, and whose identity is top secret, had his statements about the tragedy read out in Trowbridge Town Hall yesterday.

He was giving evidence into a 2005 incident, in which nine RAF servicemen and a soldier - eight of whom were based at RAF Lyneham - died when a Hercules aircraft was shot down near Baghdad. The plane went down after enemy fire pierced a fuel tank causing it to explode and blow off a wing.

The inquest heard how the plane was not fitted with ESF (explosion-suppressant foam), which prevents planes' fuel tanks exploding if they are hit. American Hercules planes have had ESF since the 1960s.

"I can state that I was aware of the foam and the fact that it was fitted to some US aircraft," said CD. "ESF never featured, there were always far more important requirements."

After the tragedy, the Ministry of Defence pledged to retrospectively fit all RAF Hercules with ESF, at a cost of up to £600,000 per plane. It has now been fitted to between 20 and 30 of the UK's 44 Hercules, according to the Ministry of Defence.

During the statement he also specifically mentioned the experience and his personal feeling towards two servicemen from Swindon and one from Wiltshire. Witness CD, who had been on two tours of duty and had more than 8,000 hours of flying hours had served in, among others, the Falklands, the first Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq.

He said: "David Stead was one of the best pilots I have ever flown with.

"Master Engineer Gary Nicholson was a total professional and Flight Sergeant Mark Gibson was a consummate professional." He added that he knew all the crew were all competent and professional and said he would deem many of them as very good friends'.

The inquest continues.