§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake that all files held by public bodies relating to the Chinook disaster will be preserved. [125269]
§ Mr. Spellar[holding answer 9 June 2000]When the original Board of Inquiry papers, written evidence and papers held by the branch with lead responsibility for matters concerning the crash are eventually archived, they will be assigned a review date of 25 years, with a recommendation for permanent retention. At the 25 year point they will be examined for their suitability for transfer to the Public Record Office in accordance with the provision of the Public Records Act 1958 and 1967.
§ Mr. BrakeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department requires manufacturers to provide complete flight reference cards prior to releasing an aircraft into operational service; if the Chinook Mk2 had a complete set of flight reference cards at the time of the fatal crash of ZD576 in June 1994; and if these included drills covering the possibility of FADEC malfunctions. [125300]
§ Mr. SpellarAll manufacturers of new Ministry of Defence aircraft are contractually required to provide full aircrew documentation prior to release to operational service. This documentation includes both Aircrew Manual and Flight Reference cards. The Chinook Mk2 had a complete set of Flight Reference Cards in June 1994. This contained all the normal and emergency operating drills in force at that time, including drills for a possible FADEC malfunction.