§ Lord Jacobsasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 20 December 2000 (WA 67) whether Air Vice Marshal Day was mistaken when he stated in the Board of Inquiry report on the Chinook ZD576 crash that Master Air Loadmaster Forbes and Sergeant Hardie were probably stationed in the aircraft cabin during the overseas transit. [HL1015]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)No. Air Marshal Day stated in the Board of Inquiry report that Master Air Loadmaster Forbes and Sergeant Hardie were probably stationed in the aircraft's cabin during the overseas transit. From the positions of the casualties relative to the wreckage, we cannot be certain where the two crewmen were at impact. It is possible that one of the crewmen was either sitting in the jump seat or standing behind the pilots. The jump seat, which folds up so that a member of the crew may also stand in this position, is in a small gap between the back of the two pilots' seats and the main cabin area, with large cabinets to each side. It takes but one step to move from the main cabin to the folded-seat area.