An independent review of the fatal RAF Nimrod accident over Afghanistan in 2006 has blamed cost cutting for the loss of life.

BBC News reports that the review by leading aviation lawyer Charles Haddon-Cave QC ended up being ‘highly critical’ of budget cuts made by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) – which the report, published on Wednesday (28/10/09), says contributed to the deaths of 14 RAF personnel killed in the crash.

The review said the crash happened because of a ‘systemic breach’ of the military covenant – a safety review of the Nimrod MR2 had been carried out by the MoD, BAE Systems and QinetiQ, which Mr Haddon-Cave called a ‘lamentable job’. He condemned the internal policies of the MoD between 1998 and 2006, which he said was a period in which financial targets ‘came to distract from safety’.

The Defence Secretary at the time of the accident, Des Browne, had apologised to the families of the victims – but maintained that the Nimrods were safe.

Quoting a former senior RAF officer who spoke at the inquiry, Mr Haddon-Cave said:

‘There was no doubt that the culture of the time had switched. In the days of the RAF chief engineer in the 1990s, you had to be on top of airworthiness. By 2004 you had to be on top of your budget if you wanted to get ahead.’

The inquiry’s subsequent report also attributed blame to two RAF personnel, one of whom was Air Commodore George Baber – a group captain at the time of the accident, who led the MoD’s team responsible for the safety review of the RAF's Nimrods between 2001 and 2005. Mr Haddon-Cave said he had ‘failed to give the Nimrod the priority it deserved’.

Wing Commander Michael Eagles was in charge of managing production of the safety review, the inquiry heard. Mr Haddon-Cave’s report found that he had delegated the role ‘wholesale’ to a civilian worker who was inexperienced ‘and not competent enough to manage it’.

The two officers have been removed to staff posts with no responsibility for safety, pending an RAF decision as to whether any further action should be taken against them. The report criticised a total of 10 individuals – five at the MoD, three at BAE Systems and two at QinetiQ.

The MoD has since admitted negligence regarding the mid-air explosion, which occurred shortly after air-to-air refuelling of the Nimrod MR2 over Kandahar in Afghanistan, when leaking fuel made contact with a hot air pipe – a potential risk not identified in the safety review of the aircraft.

Mr Haddon-Cave has written to the families of the personnel who died – and the current Defence Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, has also apologised to them.

‘On behalf of the MoD and the Royal Air Force, I would like again to say sorry to all the families who lost loved ones,’ Mr Ainsworth said.

‘I am sorry for the mistakes that have been made and the lives that have been lost as a result of our failure. Nothing I can say or do will bring these men back.’

In 2008, the families of two of the 14 men from RAF Kinloss in Moray who died in the crash served a writ on the former Defence Secretary John Hutton, accusing the MoD of ‘negligence, failing to minimise risk and a breach of the right to life’.

The coroner at the inquest of the 14 men killed had said that the aircraft ‘was never airworthy’. At the time, the MoD ignored the coroner’s call to ground the entire fleet, but in March this year, the MoD withdrew all serving Nimrods from overseas service so that engine bay hot air ducts could be replaced.

Graham Knight from Somerset – whose 25-year-old son Ben was killed in the accident – is continuing his case against the MoD, along with another family.

Mr Knight said in a BBC interview ahead of the publication of Mr Haddon-Cave’s report:

‘If this had been an Easyjet or BA plane, three years later somebody would have been charged or prosecuted over what happened, or at least would have resigned.

‘Ben would say to me, “They wouldn't let us fly unless they thought the plane was safe,'” said Mr Knight.

‘They must have thought it was safe that day. But it wasn't.’

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