Warning over Hercules aircraft in 2002

A senior RAF officer warned more than two years ago that Hercules aircraft like the one which crashed in Iraq last month - killing 10 - were at risk of " unexpected severe damage" from " centre wing cracks".

Squadron Leader David Saunders said that the planes' fatigue life had "nearly been reached," according to official RAF documents posted on the manufacturer's website-Sqn Ldr Saunders, involved in engineering support for Britain's Hercules fleet, spoke of his " concerns" about the "unmonitored" wing cracking problem as long ago as October 2002, the documents reveal. He said the cracks "could ground the fleet".

The revelations come as metal fatigue emerges as a possible cause of the Hercules crash north-west of Baghdad two weeks ago.

Investigators say the aircraft's right wing appears to have snapped off. Nine airmen and a soldier died in Britain's single worst loss of life in Iraq.

The US Air Force last week grounded 30 of its oldest C130-E Hercules aircraft because of centre wing cracks, and put 60 more C130-H planes under flight restrictions.

But the MoD insisted on Saturday that there was no danger with any British Hercules, which could continue to fly as normal - a claim which Sqn Ldr Saunders's presentation appears to question.

His comments come from two presentations he gave to the annual Hercules Operators' Conferences in Atlanta, Georgia, in

2002 and 2003. The slides from the presentations are posted on the Lockheed Martin Hercules website, lmsupport.com.

The aircraft that crashed last month, XV179, was one of Britain's six "Mark 1" Hercules, the oldest in RAF service. It first entered RAF service in 1967. In his 2002 presentation, Sqn Ldr Saunders expressed concern about these six Mark 1 aircraft "due to the operational demands placed on the Mark 1 fleet".

Even though they are nearly 40 years old, the Mark 1s have been heavily used for tactical battlefield operations in every British campaign since the Falklands. They are used for dropping troops and work closely with the SAS.

Sqn Ldr Saunders also revealed that XV179 was one of three aircraft which was given new outer wings in 2002 because of its age. The centre wing section, where there was a potential risk of cracks, was not replaced, however.

An MoD spokesman insisted at the weekend that Britain's Hercules were "much younger" and "very different" from the American aircraft which have been grounded or restricted. "We use the C130-K primarily for strategic f lying, the transportation of equipment and personnel, which puts less strain on the aircraft," the spokesman said.

But air experts disputed this. "I've been surprised that MoD spokesmen have been giving the impression that the Hercules has no fatigue issues," said Jon Lake, a specialist aviation writer.

"Britain's Mark 1 Hercules entered service only five years after the US aircraft and they are essentially the same as the 60 US aircraft which have been put on restricted duties. The only difference is that the US ones are called C130-H and ours are called C130-K."