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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
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| 'Failures' caused Hercules deaths | 'Failures' caused Hercules deaths |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| The deaths of 10 servicemen in a Hercules air crash in Iraq were the result of "serious systemic failures", a coroner has said. | The deaths of 10 servicemen in a Hercules air crash in Iraq were the result of "serious systemic failures", a coroner has said. |
| Wiltshire coroner David Masters said the failure to fit Hercules planes with explosion suppressant foam was a factor in the tragedy. | Wiltshire coroner David Masters said the failure to fit Hercules planes with explosion suppressant foam was a factor in the tragedy. |
| Nine RAF personnel and one soldier died when the RAF Hercules aircraft was shot down by enemy fire in 2005. | Nine RAF personnel and one soldier died when the RAF Hercules aircraft was shot down by enemy fire in 2005. |
| A spokeswoman for the families said the men had been "let down" by the MoD. | |
| Sarah Chapman, sister of one of the victims, Sgt Bob O'Connor, said defence chiefs had failed in their duty of care. | |
| Sarah Chapman praised the coroner for his efforts | |
| She said the coroner had recognised the "importance of the issues" and she would be "watching" to make sure the MoD implemented his recommendations. | |
| The coroner read out a narrative verdict, which is a statement about how death occurred, used when a coroner believes the conclusions require detailed explanation. | |
| He recorded verdicts of "unlawful killing by terrorist insurgents". | |
| Mr Masters said: "The failure to fit ESF [explosion suppressant foam] was on the facts found a serious systemic failure and a contributory factor in the loss of the aircraft. | |
| "There was a loss of opportunity for the survival of the crew by that failure." | |
| Among Mr Masters' recommendations was for all RAF combat aircraft to be fitted with fuel tank inerting systems - which do the same job as ESF. | |
| He said, in particular, the Hercules' successor, the Airbus A400M, must all be fitted. | |
| US military | |
| Mr Masters also said the crew had been "failed" by a system which meant intelligence of insurgent activity did not reach them. | |
| Two US helicopters had been shot at in the same area by Iraqi insurgents just hours before. | |
| The inquest heard that an e-mailed incident report was left unopened by an unnamed British intelligence officer. | |
| He said he did not open it because he had no idea XV179, which was on a special forces mission, was even in that area at the time. | |
| Earlier, Mr Masters criticised the RAF for lax record-keeping and shredding important documents. | |
| He also levelled criticism at the US military for not authorising interviews with American eyewitnesses. | |
| Aside from an Iraqi, US servicemen were the only eyewitnesses to the incident on 30 January 2005, but they were not available for interview. | Aside from an Iraqi, US servicemen were the only eyewitnesses to the incident on 30 January 2005, but they were not available for interview. |
| "The stance taken by the US is difficult to comprehend," said the coroner. | "The stance taken by the US is difficult to comprehend," said the coroner. |
| "I just wonder, what if the boot had been on the other foot - if a US aircraft had come down with the loss of 10 lives and the only eye witnesses had been British forces?" | "I just wonder, what if the boot had been on the other foot - if a US aircraft had come down with the loss of 10 lives and the only eye witnesses had been British forces?" |
| Document trawl | Document trawl |
| Summing up at Trowbridge town hall, Mr Masters said the two-month hearing was affected by a lack of data recording key RAF decisions before the incident. | Summing up at Trowbridge town hall, Mr Masters said the two-month hearing was affected by a lack of data recording key RAF decisions before the incident. |
| "I believe the ability to retrieve and view documents that record key decisions as not just important, but essential - equally important is the rationale behind them," he said. | "I believe the ability to retrieve and view documents that record key decisions as not just important, but essential - equally important is the rationale behind them," he said. |
| This criticism referred particularly to an apparently unrecorded decision taken by RAF commanders not to fit ESF on Hercules aircraft after they were advised to do so in a military research document in 2002. | |
| The inquest heard if ESF had been fitted to the Hercules, the crew may still be alive. | |
| Of the 2002 report, which recommended the RAF "should consider" retro-fitting ESF to Hercules, the coroner said: "Effectively, in my judgment, this means: 'Get on and do it'. | Of the 2002 report, which recommended the RAF "should consider" retro-fitting ESF to Hercules, the coroner said: "Effectively, in my judgment, this means: 'Get on and do it'. |
| "All the other recommendations in that report were approved, but this was not, and I consider that to be significant." | "All the other recommendations in that report were approved, but this was not, and I consider that to be significant." |
| The 2005 crash was the largest loss of life to the RAF in a hostile act since World War II. | The 2005 crash was the largest loss of life to the RAF in a hostile act since World War II. |
| Insurgent fire | Insurgent fire |
| See how the foam works | See how the foam works |
| The Hercules C-130K, flight XV179, from RAF Lyneham's 47 Squadron, was hit by insurgents after flying a special forces mission earlier in the day. | The Hercules C-130K, flight XV179, from RAF Lyneham's 47 Squadron, was hit by insurgents after flying a special forces mission earlier in the day. |
| Enemy fire from a medium-calibre anti-aircraft weapon hit a fuel tank in the right wing and caused the ullage - the highly flammable fuel-vapour-and-air mix created as fuel is used - to explode and blow off half the wing. | Enemy fire from a medium-calibre anti-aircraft weapon hit a fuel tank in the right wing and caused the ullage - the highly flammable fuel-vapour-and-air mix created as fuel is used - to explode and blow off half the wing. |
| The plane was flying at low level, through a known ambush zone | The plane was flying at low level, through a known ambush zone |
| It crashed into the desert, 25 miles (40km) north-west of Baghdad. | It crashed into the desert, 25 miles (40km) north-west of Baghdad. |
| Witnesses told the inquest the crew were flying low (about 150ft; 46m) to avoid the threat of surface-to-air missiles. | Witnesses told the inquest the crew were flying low (about 150ft; 46m) to avoid the threat of surface-to-air missiles. |
| Recalling evidence that had been heard, the coroner said three reports in the 1990s all said wing-located fuel tanks carried ullage explosion risks. | Recalling evidence that had been heard, the coroner said three reports in the 1990s all said wing-located fuel tanks carried ullage explosion risks. |
| The 2002 research report, sent to senior RAF figures, said that Hercules' wing tanks were the most vulnerable part of the planes, liable to explode if hit by small arms fire. | The 2002 research report, sent to senior RAF figures, said that Hercules' wing tanks were the most vulnerable part of the planes, liable to explode if hit by small arms fire. |
| The report said "a potential solution to reduce risk is to retro-fit all C-130 aircraft with dynamic foam for the wing fuel tanks". | The report said "a potential solution to reduce risk is to retro-fit all C-130 aircraft with dynamic foam for the wing fuel tanks". |
| A second report, in 2003, said the recommendation still applied. Yet it was not acted upon until after XV179 was shot down. | A second report, in 2003, said the recommendation still applied. Yet it was not acted upon until after XV179 was shot down. |
| American Hercules have had ESF since the 1960s. | American Hercules have had ESF since the 1960s. |
| The crew, who were mainly based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, were: RAF 47 Squadron's Flt Lt David Stead; 35; Flt Lt Andrew Smith, 25; master engineer Gary Nicholson, 42; Flt Sgt Mark Gibson, 34; Flt Lt Paul Pardoel, 35; chief technician Richard Brown, 40; Sgt Robert O'Connor, 38, Acting L/Cpl Steven Jones, 25. | The crew, who were mainly based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, were: RAF 47 Squadron's Flt Lt David Stead; 35; Flt Lt Andrew Smith, 25; master engineer Gary Nicholson, 42; Flt Sgt Mark Gibson, 34; Flt Lt Paul Pardoel, 35; chief technician Richard Brown, 40; Sgt Robert O'Connor, 38, Acting L/Cpl Steven Jones, 25. |
| The passengers were: Sqn Ldr Patrick Marshall, 39, from Strike Command Headquarters and Cpl David Williams, 37. | The passengers were: Sqn Ldr Patrick Marshall, 39, from Strike Command Headquarters and Cpl David Williams, 37. |
| EXPLOSIVE SUPPRESSANT FOAM SYSTEM 1. Without foam: Explosive mix of fuel vapour and air above liquid fuel ignites easily. Once this ignites, a compression wave pressurises the remaining gas, increasing the explosion. | EXPLOSIVE SUPPRESSANT FOAM SYSTEM 1. Without foam: Explosive mix of fuel vapour and air above liquid fuel ignites easily. Once this ignites, a compression wave pressurises the remaining gas, increasing the explosion. |
| 2. With foam: Foam expands to fill space in tank as fuel level drops. Vapour ignition is confined to the area close to spark, stopping explosion. | 2. With foam: Foam expands to fill space in tank as fuel level drops. Vapour ignition is confined to the area close to spark, stopping explosion. |
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