§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many RAF and Royal Naval aircraft have been seriously damaged or destroyed in flying accidents in each of the past five years, how many personnel have been injured or killed in flying accidents in each of those same years, what has been the cost to public funds and what is being done to prevent such accidents.
Earl HoweThe information on accidents is contained in the table below. There are no additional costs for the replacement of aircraft lost in accidents since replacements are drawn from an attrition reserve, which is procured as part of the total aircraft requirement to offset predicted losses. The cost of this reserve is therefore borne when the fleet is procured, not when an aircraft is transferred from the reserve. The cost of repairing RAF and Royal Navy aircraft seriously damaged in accidents between 1991 and 1995 is approximately £4.8 million.
The Services give a high priority to flight safety. Boards of inquiry carry out thorough investigations of all military aircraft accidents to determine the cause and minimise the risk of recurrence. Summaries of their conclusions are published and placed in the Library of the House.
Air Accidents Personal Injury Accident1 Year No. Fatalities Major Injuries Fatalities Major Injuries Royal Air Force 1991 15 9 6 1 0 1992 9 8 5 0 0 1993 9 13 6 2 0 1994 8 34 3 1 0 1995 8 9 0 0 3 Royal Navy 1991 4 0 2 0 1 1992 1 0 1 0 3 1993 4 1 0 0 1 1994 5 0 0 0 2 1995 2 2 0 0 2 Note: 1A Personal Injury Accident is defined as an accident involving a fatality or major injury but little or no damage to the aircraft. Only those involving an aircraft in flight are included in the table.