DEFENCE Minister Bob Ainsworth has apologised to the families of the RAF servicemen who died in the crash of a Nimrod patrol plane but refused to ground the aircraft.

Earlier today, Oxfordshire assistant deputy coroner Andrew Walker, concluding an inquest into the deaths of 14 servicemen when their Nimrod exploded over Afghanistan in September 2006, said that the planes should be grounded, because a design fault meant they had never been airworthy.

In a statement, Mr Ainsworth said: "My thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those who died in XV230.

"On behalf of the MoD and the Royal Air Force, I would like to apologise again to the families of those who died for our failings, which led to this tragic incident.

"I would like to reassure all those concerned that the Chief of the Air Staff has reaffirmed to me that the Nimrod is airworthy, and that we are dealing with all the issues raised by this incident."

Mr Ainsworth added: "I have noted the coroner's comments and I will consider them carefully.

"The Nimrod is saving lives in operational theatres every day. However, if it was not safe we would not be flying it; it is safe with the measures we have taken and that is why we will not be grounding the fleet."

Concluding the inquest, Mr Walker said that opportunities to spot inherent dangers on the ageing plane were missed.

He said a design fault which led to it exploding just minutes after undergoing air-to-air refuelling went unnoticed.

He recorded narrative verdicts on the deaths of the 14 personnel killed in the explosion near Kandahar on September 2, 2006, following the inquest at Oxford.

The families of the victims, who had sat in court throughout the three-week hearing, had heard the disaster was caused by fuel leaking into a dry bay and igniting on contact with a hot air pipe.

The fact that the fuel couplings were in the same compartment as a hot air pipe was a "fundamental design flaw" in the 37-year-old Nimrod fleet, the inquest was told.

A senior RAF officer admitted the aircraft should not have been passed safe to fly and said mistakes were made during a hazard assessment which could have identified the fault.

Mr Walker, in his conclusions to the inquest, praised the "bravery and courage" of the servicemen who died and the determination of the families in their "drive to uncover the truth".

He said: "I have no doubt that these fine men will never be forgotten and their loss will be keenly felt by their families, friends and our armed forces.

"The crew and passengers were not to know that this aircraft, like every other aircraft within the Nimrod fleet, was not airworthy. What is more, the aircraft was, in my judgment, never airworthy from the first release to service in 1969 to the point where the Nimrod XV 230 was lost."

Mr Walker said he was satisfied, on the balance of probability, that the design modifications for the aircraft contained a "serious design flaw" that made it unsafe to fly. This was not discovered by the manufacturers or by those entrusted with the maintenance. "This cavalier approach to safety must come to an end," he said.