§ Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 12 July (WA 35) on the Chinook helicopter ZD576, whether they will now say "whether there were any advantages in terms of safety or of time in overflying the Mull of Kintyre rather than following the original flight plan". [HL3400]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanIf the strict visibility requirements under visual flight rules had permitted, or the pilots of ZD576 had abided by 71WA instrument flight rules, there might have been some time advantage in diverting from the original flight plan and overflying the Mull of Kintyre. Whichever route had been chosen, safety would not have been compromised if the crew had adhered to the appropriate rules for the weather conditions encountered.