Son of Chinook crash victim demands transparency law

THE son of a soldier killed when an Army helicopter with safety concerns plunged to the ground has called on the Prime Minister to honour his pledge to a create duty of candour legislation for disasters.

- By Conor Wilson

Major Anthony Hornby was one of 29 people on Chinook flight ZD576 when it crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in June 1994.

It was taking intelligence personnel from MI5, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British Army to a conference at Fort George.

Anthony’s son Joel was seven years old when he woke the next morning to learn the shattering news. He told the Daily Express: "I remember it quite vividly. We'd woken up late, and I looked at the time and thought why hasn’t Mum woke us up for school?

Prayed

"We came downstairs and found her crying on the sofa with a neighbour, and inconsolable, then found out that Dad had died."

Joel, who this month visited a memorial at the crash site, added: "I remember straight away thinking it was my fault because I'd had an argument with Dad or something the week before, and I locked myself in the bathroom and prayed that it wasn’t true and he’d come back. That’s how it made sense to me at the time."