Nine soldiers and a civil servant are suing the Ministry of Defence after their military transport aircraft plunged 4,400ft when the captain’s camera became wedged against the jet’s controls.

A lawyer acting for the 10 personnel said they had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the incident during a flight in an RAF Voyager from the UK to Afghanistan.

The Sunday Times understands that the captain, who has not been named, will appear before a court martial in February. He has been charged with perjury, making a false record and negligently performing a duty.

The Voyager, with almost 200 people on board, was cruising at 33,000ft over the Black Sea when the Nikon camera, which the captain had used to take pictures of