TWO RAF Odiham pilots who died in a Chinook helicopter crash should not have been blamed; an official review is set to conclude.

The disaster in 1994 claimed the lives of 29 people when a Mark 2 Chinook, flying from Belfast to Inverness, crashed on the Mull of Kintyre in Scotland.

An independent report, chaired by retired judge Lord Alexander Philip, is expected to say pilots Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook, 28, and Jonathan Tapper, 30, should not have been accused of gross negligence.

The Chinook, which was carrying 25 of Britain’s most senior intelligence experts and four crew, crashed into a Scottish hillside in low fog, killing all those on board.

The pilots were later accused of gross negligence by an RAF Board of Inquiry, which sparked a campaign supported by The Gazette, to clear their names.

Campaigners, including Flt Lt Cook’s brother Chris, were granted an independent review by Defence Secretary Liam Fox in May last year.

Lord Philip’s recommendations will now go to the defence secretary, who is due to make a statement to MPs next week on the findings.

Campaigners hope he will posthumously clear the pilots of blame.