GAZETTE & HERALD: AN investigation into the cause of the Hercules crash which happened in clear conditions 25 miles north west of Baghdad, could take several months, MoD officials said this week.

A spokesman said all materials have now been recovered and it was in the hands of the Board of Investigation.

"I know there is speculation about the cause but there will be no conclusions drawn until the report is complete," she said.

It is not known if debris from the aircraft will be brought back to the UK for examination, but North Wiltshire MP James Gray said it seemed the logical next step.

"I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if parts of the Hercules do come back, but I haven't heard anything yet," he said.

"The air crash investigators have now finished their work in Iraq but it will no doubt take some time for their report to be published, and it is right for us to wait for that.

"But there will then be tough questions to be asked. Why was this aircraft in this area? What was its mission and where had it been?

"Why did the Prime Minister initially indicate that there had been soldiers on board and why did Jack Straw go out of his way to avoid answering that question in the House of Commons on Monday? Were there Americans on board as President Bush indicated?

"Was the plane downed in enemy action? If so why was it flying at an altitude at which it could be an easy target for the insurgents' relatively unsophisticated weapons?

Or was it some kind of missile, who fired it and why? Could the cause have been pilot error? Natural disaster? Or perhaps structural failure or some kind? We need to know the answers to these questions."

Mr Gray said there were other questions which needed to be answered on the breaking of the news of the crash.

He said it was insensitive of press agencies in Iraq to announce that a Hercules had crashed, many hours before the families were informed.

"The families of the other six Hercules on operations in Iraq were not properly informed that their loved ones were unaffected until well into Sunday evening," he said. "Imagine the agony of their wait.

"I challenged defence minister Adam Ingram on the point.

"He was concerned but reacted that the media knew and were all over the story so the Prime Minister had to refer to it in his pre-arranged press conference that Sunday afternoon.

"It seems likely that there was needless worry for many families for a great many hours, and at very least ministers should urgently examine mechanisms to reduce it."