The scenes At Blacksod Bay, county Mayo on the second day of a search for three missing members of the Irish Coast Guard whose helicopter crashed while on a rescue mission in March, 2017
This morning.
Via RTE News
The final report into the Rescue 116 tragedy is published today…
…via RTE News:
It said the helicopter operator, CHC Ireland, did not have a “formalised, standardised, controlled or periodic” system in place to review flight routes.
The investigation has identified correspondence regarding the absence of obstacles, including Blackrock Island, on helicopter warning systems, almost four years before the crash.
It found there was not adequate oversight of helicopter operations by the Department of Transport or the Irish Coast Guard.
The inquiry concludes that there was a lack of clarity as to the role the Irish Aviation Authority, regarding the regulation of search and rescue flights.
The Dublin-based R116 helicopter was flying to Blacksod in Co Mayo to refuel when the accident occurred.
Report here
‘Navigational issues’ a major factor in R116 helicopter crash (RTÉ)
There are two of next week’s Late Late Show guests now selected.
The media’s desire to portray the pilot as an infallible superhero is counterproductive to improving safety and learning from this incident. Whoever delayed the report should have a long hard think about their motives.
I don’t feel they’ve been put forward as ‘infallible’.
They are heroes who risked their lives and ultimately lost them that night.
It seems that many mistakes were made in the lead up to this tragedy.
The least we can do is to ensure all those errors are corrected to ensure we don’t see a repeat.
Transcript from black box recorder:
Co-pilot: OK so small target at six miles eleven o’clock
Large
out to the right there
ehm
Commander: Roger
Other Source [Automated on-board alert] : ALTITUDE
Commander: Eh just a small little island… that’s B L M O itself
Other Source: Altitude
Rear Crew Channel : K…looking at an island just in, directly ahead of us now guys, you want to come right [Commander’s Name]
Commander: OK, come right just confirm?
Rear Crew Channel: About…
twenty degrees right yeah
Commander: OK Come Right…select heading
Commander: Select
Co-Pilot: Roger
Commander: heading
Co-Pilot: Heading selected
Rear Crew Channel: Come right now
come right
COME RIGHT
Other Source: ALTITUDE
Co-pilot: [EXPLETIVE]
OOOHHHH
Other Source: ALTITUDE
Co-pilot: [EXPLETIVE]
Other Source: SMOKE IN BAGGAGE
Co-Pilot: We’re gone.
– How the report decides pilot error wasn’t a contributing factor is beyond me, other heli pilots online beg to differ. There was clearly a delay in reacting to the warning from the rear crew.
Of course, much worse is the fact that they shouldn’t have been out there at all – the doctor involved suggested pain killers were the best solution for the sailor with the severed thumb, however this message got lost and somehow became ‘airlift needed’ so whoever is responsible for that mess has blood on their hands. Not to mention the myriad other issues with this operation.