An inquiry into Britain's aging Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft says 14 airmen would still be alive had safety warnings been heeded years ago.

A Board of Inquiry report to Parliament Tuesday said the Ministry of Defense ignored warnings from the Royal Air Force and the defense industry about known faults in the aircraft's air-cooling systems, the Daily Telegraph reported.

In September 2006, 14 crew members perished when their Nimrod exploded and crashed during a surveillance mission near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.

Commanders immediately called for the installation of an early warning system that could alert crew to hot-air leaks, but the inquiry found the Ministry of Defense rejected the call, saying it was unnecessary and impractical, the newspaper said.

Defense Secretary Des Browne was scheduled to announce the report findings to Parliament, the Guardian said.  // Copyright 2007 by United Press International



Publication date: 04 December 2007   

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