Defence Secretary
Bob Ainsworth has today announced the creation of a new military
airworthiness authority to ensure aviation safety standards are of
the highest order at all times.
The Military Aviation Authority (MAA) has been created as part of
the MOD's full response to the Nimrod Review by Charles
Haddon-Cave QC following the deaths of 14 service personnel
onboard Nimrod XV230 on 2 September 2006. The MAA will include an
independent body to audit and scrutinize air safety activity. The
MAA will be in place by 5 April 2010.
The creation of the MAA was one of two key strategic
recommendations of Mr Haddon-Cave's report which have
both been accepted by the MoD. The other key recommendation is a
revised arrangement of safety responsibilities for those personnel
charged with ensuring the safe operation of military aircraft.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said:
"My thoughts and condolences continue to be with the
families of the 14 service personnel who tragically lost their
lives in this incident. On behalf of the MOD and RAF I again
apologise for the mistakes that were made. I also pay tribute to
the Nimrod crews for their continual skill and professionalism.
What we must do now is learn all the lessons from Mr
Haddon-Cave's report and take all the actions necessary
to implement them.
"I share Mr Haddon-Cave's view that we must
ensure our future management of military air safety is of the
highest order. I am grateful for the detailed proposals the Nimrod
Review has made. We have examined these proposals thoroughly for
the past seven weeks and we are already taking action to implement
them, including the creation of the Military Aviation Authority to
provide the leadership needed to deliver the highest safety
standards. This is the most radical reform to MOD's
airworthiness procedures since military aviation began. Mr
Haddon-Cave's principles and his proposals regarding
safety culture have a resonance beyond aviation and we are now
looking at their applicability more widely across the MOD."
Air Marshal Kevin Leeson, Chief of Materiel (Air), said:
"The Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force is
committed to learning from this tragic accident. Mr Haddon-Cave
confirmed that the Nimrod aircraft remain safe to fly. He
commended the findings of the RAF Board of Inquiry and the
technical actions we had taken to restore integrity.
"In his recommendations, Mr Haddon-Cave proposed a
number of improvements to safety processes that we had already
made in our own immediate response to the crash, a number of which
he recognises in his report. However, he goes further with the
need for greater independence of regulation and audit from those
who deliver aircraft day to day to operations. I believe these are
sound recommendations and we already have a team working to bring
the new Military Aviation Authority into effect."
Notes to Editors
1. The MoD's response to the Nimrod was announced by
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth in an oral statement to Parliament
today. A detailed response to all Mr Haddon-Cave's
recommendations has been place in the Library of the House of Commons.
2. For more information contact Paul Leat in the MOD Press Office
on 020 7218 3254
289/2009
Contacts:
Ministry of Defence
NDS.MOD@coi.gsi.gov.uk