Several of the bereaved families live in the vicinity of Upper Bann and have contacted Carla Lockhart seeking support in their long fight for answers.

Speaking on the issue Carla Lockhart MP said:

“This tragedy left an indelible mark on the lives of families across Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Twenty-nine precious lives were lost, including 25 intelligence and security specialists and four crew members, many of whom served on the frontline against terrorism. Their families have endured three decades of grief without truth or transparency.

In recent months, families have approached me directly. Their questions have been ignored for years and their pain is still raw. They have been denied answers, denied accountability and denied basic communication from successive Governments who stood behind the Official Secrets Act instead of standing with the bereaved.

It is absolutely outrageous that families only discovered through the BBC that crucial Ministry of Defence documents had been sealed for 100 years. No family should learn the truth about their loved one’s death from a television broadcast.

Despite claims of multiple investigations, none had the legal powers of a full inquiry. None could compel documents or compel witnesses. Key information was withheld or missing. Early investigations wrongly blamed pilot negligence, a finding overturned only after a long and painful campaign by their families.

What we now know is deeply alarming. The Chinook Mk2 was officially deemed unsafe. The aircraft’s FADEC system had been described by test pilots as positively dangerous. Regulatory compliance was nowhere near complete. The aircraft was still allowed to fly. Twenty-nine people paid for that decision with their lives.

Families are not asking for blame. They are asking for answers. They deserve an independent, judge-led public inquiry with full powers to compel evidence, uncover the truth and deliver the justice that has been denied for 31 years.

On the floor of the House of Commons, during the debate on public accountability, I pressed the Prime Minister directly and secured his commitment for a meeting between the families and the Ministry of Defence. This is a significant step forward and an acknowledgement that their voices can no longer be ignored.

But meetings alone are not enough. Only a full public inquiry will deliver the truth. The work of the Chinook Justice Campaign must be recognised. They have fought tirelessly, united in grief but determined to ensure no other family is left in darkness the way they have been.

I will fight tooth and nail with these families until they finally receive transparency, justice and answers. The 29 who died deserve nothing less and neither do the loved ones who have carried this burden for more than three decades.”