Darlington woman continues fight for answers after dad died in Chinook disaster
There are calls for a public inquiry into what happened in 1994
Last updated 8th Aug 2025
A Darlington woman, whose dad died in the Chinook disaster, is continuing her fight for justice 31 years on.
38 year-old Esme Sparks was just seven when her father, Major Gary Sparks, was killed in 1994 in Scotland along with 28 others.
A total of 25 senior intelligence experts and four special forces crew were killed when an RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed on the Mull of Kintyre en route from RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to Fort George near Inverness on June 2 that year.
Esme's joined forces with their families to demand a judge-led public inquiry to find out what really happened in the crash.
Esme said: "Initially the inquiries that looked into that accident gave the cause of gross negligence on behalf of the two pilots and they were blamed for that. It took 16 years for their families to clear their names and in 2011, they were exonerated. However, we don't have answers as to the circumstances surrounding the crash.
"In January last year, the BBC aired two documentaries, which are going to aired again later this month, that exposed the fact that the MoD had sealed documents pertaining to the crash for 100 years and as well as that, there were concerns about the air worthiness of the Chinook as well.
"We as a group are completely committed and we're not going to give up. It's been 31 years but it's now that we are edging closer. We've got an amazing law team working for us, we've got an amazing PR agency who's working for us as well and it's all about getting that information out there.
"Very sadly I was only seven when he died but things that I do remember about him are that he was really active and outdoorsy, we used to spend a lot of time walking on beaches, rock pooling and that sort of thing. As far as I know, he was the life and soul of the party or the event that he was at and he was a great entertainer.
"It's really sad that myself, my brother and sister and my children have now missed out on having that father figure and that grandfather figure in their lives.
"We're asking for that truth, that transparency, that duty of candour and that honesty. We're asking for this to be a judge-led inquiry, so we're not asking for the group memebers to come and look at the documents, we're asking for an independent review and looking at what are the circumstances leading up to the crash.
"Somebody somewhere knows what happened and we believe as a group that those documents hold the answers to that and we'd like a judge to access those, look at those and ultimately, give us some answers so that in turn we can get closure as families.
"We believe that it absolutely was not a tragic accident and that there are circumstances surrounding the lead up to the crash that will give us those answers.
"I think dad would be incredibly proud of me because I think he'd be incredibly disappointed that the Ministry of Defence, that he worked for his whole life and ultimately sacrificed himself for, are not upholding their duty which is to protect those people who give their lives for their coutnry, so I think he would be very proud that the fight goes on."
An MoD spokesperson said: “The Mull of Kintyre crash was a tragic accident, and our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families, friends and colleagues of all those who died.
“The accident has already been the subject of six inquiries and investigations, including an independent Judge-led review.”
"The closed records held at The National Archives contain personal information relating to third party individuals. The early release of this information would breach those individuals’ data protection rights.”
More than 25,000 sign petition demanding for answers
More than 25,000 people have signed a petition |newtab) demanding answers around the 1994 Chinook disaster, as the families accuse the MoD of a "cover-up".
The petition reads: "Twenty-nine people boarded Chinook ZD576 on 2 June 1994. All of them died.
"31 years later, we - their families - still have no answers.
"We have been denied truth, transparency and justice by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
"Our loved ones were forced to board an RAF helicopter with fatal software flaws that MoD test engineers had deemed 'positively dangerous' and 'not to be relied upon in any way whatsoever'.
"We know key evidence was withheld or ignored in previous investigations. Former ministers say they were misled by the MoD and doubt airworthiness issues were investigated properly."
Esme added: "We are comforted by the fact that more than 25,000 people have signed our petition and we would encourage anyone that is sick of state cover-ups to add their names so that we can get truth and transparency.
"The Prime Minister must urgently introduce a legal duty of candour on all public bodies, including the MoD which placed our relatives on an aircraft it knew to be unairworthy, to prevent this type of unacceptable secrecy and wrongdoing happening over and over again."