TWO RAF pilots blamed for the 1994 Chinook helicopter crash which left 29 people dead, including a high-ranking Bolton soldier, were today effectively cleared of causing the disaster.
A House of Lords inquiry concluded there was no justification for finding fault with the men, who died along with their 25 passengers and two other crew.
Many of those on board were among Britain's most senior counter-terrorist officers working in Northern Ireland.
Major Anthony Robert Hornby, aged 38, from Bolton, died with 29 others when the helicopter crashed into the Mull of Kintyre in June 1994.
Father-of-three Major Hornby served with the Queens Lancashire Regiment and was based in Portadown, Northern Ireland. He was posthumously awarded the Queen's Commendation for valuable service in Northern Ireland.
A Ministry of Defence investigation into the accident on the Mull of Kintyre on June 2, 1994, had accused the two special forces pilots, Jonathan Tapper and Richard Cook, of "gross negligence", which infuriated their families.
But doubts were later raised about the reliability of new computer software used to fly the aircraft.
Today, an all-party select committee of five peers cast doubt on the MoD's finding.
Full reaction on Wednesday
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