The wife of an RAF Lossiemouth airman who died in a mid-air Tornado crash has claimed lessons from the tragedy have still not been learned.
Fiona Bailey – who worked at the former RAF Kinloss base at the time of the 2012 disaster – has reiterated her call for a fatal accident inquiry.
The 38-year old previously launched legal proceedings against the Ministry of Defence, which has admitted liability for the death of her husband, Squadron Leader Samuel Bailey.
A Military Aviation Authority inquiry into the incident was completed a year ago, but was not made public until July.
It found 17 contributory factors led to the collision of the jets – including the lack of an effective care plan for Sqn Ldr Bailey, who had developed a fear of flying at certain heights, and the failure to fit a crash warning system.
Mrs Bailey was a staff member at the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre at RAF Kinloss, and was stood down from the rescue operation after it was discovered her husband was one of the missing crew.
Flight lieutenants Hywel Poole and Adam Sanders also died in the crash off the Caithness coast.
Mrs Bailey said yesterday: “The admission of liability from the MoD was a huge step forward for my daughter and me, but it remains very difficult to come to terms with what happened considering the series of failings that the accident report raised.
“There has been no suggestion that real lessons are being learned regarding the crash and we simply want to know why recommended steps were not taken which could have played a huge part in keeping Samuel safe.
“The same mistakes cannot be made again.”
Angus Robertson, Moray MP and SNP defence spokesman, has also called for an inquiry.
He said: “The MoD still has serious questions to answer and we have recently found out that the installation of the collision warning system has been further delayed.
“Only a fatal accident inquiry will hold those responsible fully to account.”
An MoD spokesman said: “First and foremost, our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends of Sqn Ldr Sam Bailey, Flt Lt Hywel Poole and Flt Lt Adam Sanders.
“The service inquiry made 42 recommendations, all which have been thoroughly reviewed as a matter of urgency, with substantive progress being made against the recommendations.
“Safety continues to be of paramount importance to us, the RAF continues to work hard to ensure that air safety considerations are at the core of all our aviation activity.”