§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence it he will make a statement on the accident occurring on 31 October involving a Harrier jet at RAF Wittering, indicating the level of hazard caused by the plane's cargo. [14601]
§ Mr. SpellarThe only stores being carried by the aircraft at the time of the accident was a training missile, the seeker head of which had a coating containing a tiny amount of mercury thallium. As the component was destroyed on impact, the mercury thallium would have completely dissipated within about 10 seconds and, as a result, would have posed no hazard. This has subsequently been confirmed during the environmental health monitoring tests routinely carried out at aircraft crash sites.