Letter: Chinook error

Michael Hamilton (Letters, 18 July) asks if was just a matter of pilot error because there was no evidence of technical malfunction. Not quite.

Despite allegations of problems with Chinooks, most of them Mk 1s, this does not justify concluding that the crash was caused by an unspecified technical problem.

Not only was there no evidence of one, there was evidence that the aircraft was under full control at all times, even up to 2.9 seconds before impact when an attempt was made to avoid the ground. Moreover, the pilots made no report of a problem.

As I pointed out to Lord Philip, the navigational error the pilots made is shown, but not explained, in Boeing's 2002 report (this was not available to the original inquiry).

Steuart Campbell

Dovecot Loan

Edinburgh