Published Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Defence Secretary Liam Fox told the Commons an independent review of the evidence surrounding the crash had been promised when the Tories were in opposition.
"I can confirm that the Ministry of Defence is already looking at the best way to undertake that," he told MPs during debate on the Queen's Speech.
"We will certainly live up to the promise we made in opposition."
The move comes after renewed pressure from former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzie Campbell and amid continuing concern over the RAF's finding of "gross negligence" against the two helicopter pilots.
Senior police, Army and MI5 officers were among the dead when the Chinook crashed in thick fog on a remote hillside in June 1994.
An initial RAF inquiry ruled that the pilots, Flight Lieutenants Jonathan Tapper and Richard Cook, were guilty of "gross negligence" for flying too low and too fast.
But campaigners have called for the pilots to be cleared after leaked documents suggested the helicopter was brought down by computer software failures.
Raising the issue in the Commons, Sir Menzies described the crash as a "terrible and tragic event".
He said: "It's forcefully argued by many people that the evidence available (to the RAF board of inquiry) failed to meet the very high standard necessary before such a finding can be made."
He said that to seek to reopen the matter did not imply "bad faith", adding: "I believe an error was made."
Two external inquiries reached the conclusion that the "evidence did not justify the verdict" of gross negligence.
He said inadvertently an "injustice" had been caused and it is now time to put this right.
In a letter to the Defence Secretary, Sir Menzies said an "error of interpretation of the relevant regulations" had been made and called for a review of the board of inquiry.
In the chamber, he welcomed Dr Fox's commitment to carry out an independent review of the evidence.