The Government's investigation into the deaths of four airmen in a search-and-rescue helicopter crash in Co Waterford 14 months ago identifies lack of ground support for the Air Corps crew and inadequate safety and training procedures as major contributory factors.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) Air Corps, Brig Gen Patrick Cranfield, has said he will be implementing the report's recommendations as a matter of urgency, and has deflected criticisms of training and safety procedures. Mr Tony Baker, the father of one of the four airmen killed, has called on Brig Gen Cranfield to resign or be dismissed.
Capt Dave O'Flaherty (30), Capt Mick Baker (28), Sgt Pat Mooney (34) and Cpl Niall Byrne (24) died instantly when their helicopter crashed into a sand dune in thick fog on Tramore beach early on July 2nd, after returning from a successful rescue mission. It was the worst accident in the history of the Air Corps.
The 103-page report by the Department of Public Enterprise's Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) identifies two active causes, six contributory causes and nine systemic causes for the crash; makes 25 recommendations; and highlights serious deficiencies in support for the four crew from a number of quarters including Air Corps senior management, the Department of Defence, and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources.
While the main cause is identified as collision with a sand dune after an unsuccessful approach on Tramore beach at night in "extremely poor" visibility, the report has been unable to determine the reason for prior descent of the aircraft. However, it says the weather in Tramore Bay was so bad that a successful landing would have been "virtually impossible".
It says the pressures on the detachment commander to accept the rescue mission in search of a small boat with four adults and a seasick child on board off Dungarvan were "very high".
Crew fatigue is also identified as a contributory factor. The callout came at the end of a day of official and press duties to mark the July 1st, 1999, initiation of a 24-hour south-east base by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods.
The report points to lack of sufficient "in-theatre" training for the four crew, and infrastructural deficiencies including absence of qualified air-traffic control on duty at Waterford Airport.
It also highlights the lack of an on-site accommodation block or catering for the crew at Waterford.
The report makes 25 safety recommendations, including urgent establishment by the Department of Defence of a fully-resourced air safety office in the Air Corps, to be headed by a flying officer of lieutenant colonel rank. This was recommended in the 1998 Price Waterhouse review of the Naval Service and Air Corps.
It also calls on the Department of Defence to commission an independent air operations safety audit on behalf of the Air Corps. It says that the GOC Air Corps should institute a series of operational and equipment-related reviews.
The report says a formal service-level agreement should be put in place between the Air Corps and Irish Coastguard, and between the Air Corps and the airport authorities.
The GOC should review the shortcomings of the Dauphin as a search-and-rescue platform of operations in the north-west theatre. Currently, a Dauphin search-and-rescue helicopter is based at Finner camp in Co Donegal.
The full text of the report on the Tramore helicopter crash is available at the Irish Times website at: www.ireland.com
