The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before this was overturned in 2011.
A man whose father died in the 1994 RAF Chinook helicopter crash says “the truth is being withheld”, as families of victims reiterated calls for a full public inquiry.
Alliance MP for Lagan Valley Sorcha Eastwood said it is a “tragedy” that the Government is “still trying to cover this up”.
Twenty-five intelligence experts and four special forces crew were killed when the helicopter crashed on the Mull of Kintyre, en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness, on June 2 that year.
The incident was initially blamed on pilot error before this was overturned in 2011.
Families of the victims are calling for a judge-led public inquiry into the disaster and for all the files – some of which have been sealed for 100 years – to be released.
The Chinook Justice Campaign group has also said that newly released Ministry of Defence (MoD) documents show officials were aware of serious airworthiness concerns about the helicopter, while actively seeking to protect the official narrative blaming the pilots.
On Saturday, relatives of those who died in the 1994 crash laid wreaths at the Memorial Garden at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn, ahead of the 32nd anniversary of the incident.
Des and Patricia Conroy lost their father Desmond, a detective chief superintendent in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) who died in the crash.
Mr Conroy said “it’s quite obvious that there were issues with the aircraft all the way back to 1994 and the aircraft should never have taken off”, and a “judge-led public inquiry is all that can come of this now”.
“The truth is being withheld,” he said.
“We want justice, we want an apology from the Government that our loved ones were placed on an aircraft that wasn’t released for service.
“The MoD, the RAF themselves, it wasn’t to be relied upon in any way whatsoever.
“I want to fight for my father, because I believe if he knew the aircraft was in the condition it was in, he would not have boarded the aircraft, nor would his colleagues.”
He added: “My father taught me to do the right thing, that’s all I can remember, no matter how difficult it is, always try to do the right thing.
“And that’s what I’m going to try and do for him, is to try and get justice for him and I believe the people who know the answers should do the right thing.”
Ms Conroy, who was 22 years old when her father died, described him as “a loving husband, family man”.
“He was hard working, he was honest, he took us away on picnics and holidays, he just loved being at home,” she said.
“So when that happened, the centre of our universe was just like it was just ripped apart.”
She said the wreath laying ceremony was “extremely emotional”, and nearly 32 years on the families of the victims “take great comfort in each other”.
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he would meet with the families after the case was raised in the Commons.
“We are ready, we want to meet him, we want him to meet us, to listen to us, to take what we have to say seriously, to our evidence to be looked at,” Ms Conroy said.
Jennifer Balmer-Hornby lost her father, Major Anthony Robert Hornby, with the accident occurring a week before her 10th birthday.
Ms Balmer-Hornby said a full public inquiry is important to the families because they feel “there’s more information out there, but they are locking it away”.
“We’ve had inquiries already, all the inquiries have been about the cause of the crash,” she said.
“This is not about the cause of the crash. It’s about the mountain of evidence to say that that aircraft should never have taken off, and why would they risk the lives of 29 people who were so crucial to the security of this country?”
Ms Eastwood said those who remember the incident also “remember the silence that accompanied afterwards, the useful conspiracy theories that fell into that vacuum due to a lack of information and facts”.
“The tragedy, now 32 years on, is that the Government are still trying to cover this up and telling families bare face lies that these need to be covered up for 100 years – the files – that’s not true,” she said.
“And it suits some individuals to have conspiracy theories out there.
“It’s not the truth, it’s hurtful to the families, and actually every time they tell their stories and they share their stories, they are re-traumatising themselves.”
The Hillsborough Law, formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, was carried over from the last parliamentary session, and will require public officials to tell the truth during inquiries and investigations.
Ms Eastwood said: “We really need to see that Hillsborough law delivered now, and it’s urgent, and this can serve as a test case.”
She added: “The Hillsborough law itself is to do with the duty of candour, and what that means is government bodies and public bodies telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
“That is exactly what these families are calling for what all the information the families have amassed says and tells us, and this is an opportunity for the Government, if they are serious about public accountability and about duty of candour, this provides the ideal opportunity for this to be used for the families to actually get the truth of what happened, because they haven’t yet.”
The Alliance MP further said the Government has “failed” the crash victims and their families.
She added: “Not only failed them, but then covered it up and told them they were liars, and that’s why this case is so important, because none of these people are liars, their families were heroes, and the state needs to, at the very least, give them the truth.”
An MoD spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends, and colleagues of all those who died in the Mull of Kintyre crash.
“The MoD continues to engage with the Chinook Justice Campaign (CJC) throughout this process.
“Defence ministers have met with campaign representatives to listen to their concerns, and the CJC also met with the Ministry of Justice victims minister in March.
“The CJC submitted a formal claim for Judicial Review in September 2025, and the MoD is focused on responding fully to that claim and to the allegations it contains.
“We will not be offering comment on issues that are being considered as part of that independent process.”
