MoD Accused Of Ignoring "Issues"

Nimrod spy planes are aptly named, according to a story in the Guardian Observer. A dozen major deficiencies in the repair and maintenance of the RAF's Nimrod spy planes were recognized the UK Military Defense officials shortly before one of the aircraft exploded above Afghanistan, killing 14 people, causing the biggest loss of life suffered by Britain's armed forces since the Falklands war.

An internal defense report examined by the Observer highlights a catalogue of 'critical' failings found during an investigation into the recurrent problem of fuel leaks within the Nimrod fleet.

Concerns relating to a 'low standard of workmanship' and 'inadequate' training of mechanics working on the Nimrod fuel system were first identified eight years ago. No evidence to suggest such issues had been rectified was found by investigators. The official inquiry into the explosion will be published this month - and is expected to pinpoint a fuel leak in the Nimrod MR2 as the cause of the tragedy.

The investigation comes only days after a Nimrod suffered a serious leak in mid-air, spraying fuel into an empty bomb bay while refueling over southern Afghanistan.

Saturday, families of the crew who died in the explosion over Kandahar province claimed it was the fourth such incident since the tragedy. Family members of those killed in the aerial explosion said the report proved that safety fears over fuel leaks had been repeatedly ignored by defense officials. One family member shared his thoughts.

'I was speaking to one of the widows involved in the crash recently and she agreed that her husband's life has been thrown away,' he said. 'This report shows that mechanics were not using the proper equipment; there were problems with training and also with the sealants.'

In addition to the 12 areas of concern found by experts, the report detected a six other factors that appear to have compounded problems relating to the aircraft's fuel tank system, including the age of the fleet and the Nimrod's design.

The 36-page report adds that the age of the plane that exploded over Afghanistan 14 months ago was 'considerably beyond the initial design requirement for the aircraft'.

The report also found that mechanics could not detect fuel leaks reported in Iraq and Afghanistan once the planes had returned to Britain for service.

The 12 deficiencies mentioned in the report, published in March 2006, focus on mechanics' working practices. They cite staff using out-of-date generic manuals that did not relate to the specifics of the spy plane and the lack of an 'adhesion promoter' to properly carry out repairs to the aircraft's fuel tanks. The authors of the report recommend that a team of specialists should review the findings and make urgent improvements.

'The overall control and quality of the [mechanics'] work was not helped said the report. Experts highlighted a 'critical need to improve the training' of Nimrod mechanics, a 'deficiency of appropriate tooling for sealant stripping', and a 'lack of expertise and critical loss of experienced personnel that has had a major impact on the efficiency of RAMS [mechanics] in carrying out fuel tank repair work',' according to the report.

The lack of skilled mechanics was serious enough, the report adds, to have 'diminished the consistency of fuel tank repair work with a possible impact on the reliability of those repairs' and may have compromised the 'effective sealing of leaks'.

Investigators also expressed concern that they could not find who had performed earlier repairs or when they had been finished. Details relating to prospective repairs on the plane that exploded over Afghanistan could not be traced by those examining the fuel tank system of the plane.

Defense officials have previously admitted that the fleet of Nimrods leak fuel.

An MoD spokesman said: 'The safety of our aircrews is paramount. We have regular checks and we have now taken the action of suspending air-to-air refueling as a precaution.'

FMI: www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/europe/nimrod_mr2.htm