§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the official report into the cause of the accident to a Boeing 737 aircraft at Manchester airport on 22 August 1985 will be published.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe report by the Department's air accidents investigation branch (AAIB) was published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
The report took longer than normal to produce because of the extent of the investigation required into the circumstances surrounding this accident and as a result of the decision by AAIB to devote exceptional resources and time to conduct a large scale examination of the survivability aspects of the accident.
The report contains 31 safety recommendations. It is the Civil Aviation Authority who has the statutory responsibility for the regulation of civil aviation in the United Kingdom and all of the recommendations were passed to the CAA for action as the investigation progressed.
The report is very detailed and comprehensive and the AAIB is to be congratulated on a most thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this accident.