"I feel hopeful" says man seeking justice for Father killed in Chinook crash
Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix was among 29 people killed when an RAF Chinook crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994
A Wiltshire man who's part of the Chinook Justice Campaign has described a meeting with Government Ministers about the Mull of Kintyre Chinook disaster as "constructive".
Niven Phoenix lost his dad, Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix, in the 1994 tragedy, as all 29 passengers and crew died in the crash.
Tuesday's meeting with Ministers, which included Minister of State, Lord Coaker, Veterans Ministers, Al Carns and Louise Sandher Jones, marked the first time families had been able to engage Government officials in a face-to-face meeting.
On Monday, the campaign revealed it had a further 225 unanswered questions about the crash, bringing the total to 335.
Reasons for optimism after 31 years
Niven, who is from Malmesbury, told us the meeting was a "positive step".
"I would say it was a very constructive meeting. There were obviously things that they were unaware of. They listened in order to understand, and they asked intelligent, probing questions and it was very evident they were only partially aware of the issues," he said.
The families and ministers met without any legal advisors, which Niven said was important, as it allowed everyone to give genuine responses.
"It's the first time we've had the chance to actually look someone in the eye and say, 'do you realise you know that this aircraft was non airworthy for these reasons?' and actually the facts were not in dispute," he said.
The families say the Chinook Mark 2 only had an interim clearance, with just one of the 60 required certifications approved, nine partially compliant and the remained not compliant at all.
Ministers committed to continued engagement
While the campaigners didn't walk away from the meeting with the Public Inquiry they're hoping for, Niven revealed there is a willingness from Government officials to keep the dialogue open.
He said there was a "professional curiosity" from the Ministers about the crash, resulting in Lord Coaker committing to look seriously at the Freedom of Information requests that have been placed.
He added that the meeting also got the Ministers considering the case as a test for the Hillsbrough Law, which aims to prevent cover-ups by the state.
Niven feels had the Chinook disaster been given a full and proper investigation at the time, it would have prevented other RAF tragedies involving aircraft and vehciles that weren't fully approved for use.
He's hopeful of forward progress in the future, and told us that having former service personnel in the room, in Mr Carns and Mrs Sandher-Jones, helped bring understanding to the families situation.
"I felt there was a sense of camaraderie within the room," Niven said. "I did feel there was a genuine as a professional curiosity. I saw the quizzical looks, I saw the light bulb moments, and I saw that almost like the penny dropping."