MOD criticised over SAS soldier who fell to death after equipment failed

Defence chiefs have come under fire once again over failures to equip troops properly after it emerged a young SAS captain may have died because he did not have a £50 radio.

Captain Daniel Wright, 25, was on his first day of special forces training when his parachute failed to open and he plummeted 2,500 feet to his death near RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

	Capt Daniel Wright could not be told to open his reserve parachute

As the full inquest into his death began, it emerged his instructors watching on the ground were unable to tell him to open his reserve parachute in time because he did not have a two-way radio on him.

It was also reported Cpt Wright's head of training had written to RAF supply headquarters eight months before the tragedy, on November 17, 2005, to stress the importance of radios for the trainees.

He accused them of being more concerned with money than their duty of care to troops. Speaking before the Oxford inquest began, Cpt Wright's mother Carol said she blamed the Government for her son's death.

"Lessons must be learned and acted upon. We hear this so often from the families of those who have died," she said.

"We cannot bring Dan back but we do hope that his death can make it less likely that the same thing will happen to someone else.

"I have no doubt if Dan had been given everything the instructors asked for he would still be alive today.

"I hold the Government accountable for Dan's death."

Captain Wright's death is one in a long line of fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan which have been blamed on equipment failures and shortages.

As well as the Nimrod and Hercules crashes that killed a total of 24 servicemen, there was the death of Sergeant Steve Roberts, a tank commander who was shot after giving away his body armour because of shortages, and that of Fusilier Gordon Gentle, who died because a "chaotic" military supply chain meant a vital piece of equipment had not been fitted to his vehicle.

Only last month, Oxfordshire coroner's court dealt with the inquest of Captain James Philippson, 29, who was killed after British troops were "totally out-gunned" in a battle in Afghanistan on June 11, 2006.

Andrew Walker, the Oxfordshire coroner hearing both inquests, said at the conclusion of Cpt Philippson's inquest that failing to properly equip soldiers was "unforgivable, inexcusable and a breach of trust between the soldiers and those who govern them".

Daniel Wright, of the Queen's Gurkha Signal Corps, joined the Army because he "could not bare the thought of mundane nine-to-five life", his mother said.

"We are very proud of Dan. He was a bright boy, a great athlete, funny too and just great to have around the house," said Mrs Wright, a health visitor from Newport in South Wales.

Although she admitted she was "horrified" when Cpt Wright first spoke of his intention to join the Army, she was delighted following his selection to train for the Special Forces "because it was clearly something he absolutely loved".

A Ministry of Defence board of inquiry report said Cpt Wright was seen raising his hands and trying to control the parachute by using the steering lines after it opened partially.

He eventually managed to open his reserve chute but it was too late to save him. The board recommended improved emergency training and said trainees should be equipped with altitude warning bleepers to allow them to open their reserve chutes in time.