Rescue helicopter crashes in atlantic during Rescue mission..All four crews killed

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In the early hours of 14 March 2017, a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter operated by CHC Helicopter under contract to the Irish Coast Guard (call sign Rescue 116) crashed into the sea while supporting a rescue operation off County Mayo, on Ireland’s west coast. All four crew members on board, Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Chief Pilot Mark Duffy, winch operator Paul Ormsby, and winch man Ciarán Smith were killed.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit released its final report on 5 November 2021. It concluded that the probable cause was that while the helicopter was flying towards its intended landing spot at 200 ft, at night, in poor weather, the crew was unaware of the presence of a 282-foot obstacle in their flight path.

Learn more about the crash

https://aaiu.ie/aaiu_report/final-report-accident-involving-a-sikorsky-s-92a-helicopter-registration-ei-icr-at-black-rock-co-mayo-ireland-on-14-march-2017-report-no-2021-008/

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13 thoughts on “Rescue helicopter crashes in atlantic during Rescue mission..All four crews killed”

  4. I may have this wrong, I've no idea what the SOPs dictate on that operation, but the CVR might indicate that the island was spotted by a non-flying crew member, stated as 'Straight Ahead'.. queried by the flying pilot and discussed as needing a 20 deg right turn, the non-handling pilot was instructed to enter 20deg right.. this not being sufficient or otherwise not acted upon in sufficient time, collision with the lighthouse/island was inevitable.. This would indicate that the Helo was being operated through the autopilot.. Surely, close proximity to a serious threat should have warranted a quick disconnect of the A/P and a hard-over move to avoid any terrain. As I said, I may be misinterpreting the audio.

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  6. 1. *Accident Reported:* On the evening of 13 March 2017, the Malin Head Coastguard received a call about a fishing boat crew member who had lost part of his thumb in an accident, 250 km off the west coast.

    2. *Decision to Evacuate:* The decision was made to evacuate the injured fisherman to a hospital.

    3. *Helicopter Dispatch:* Two helicopters were dispatched:
    – *Rescue 118:* To winch the injured fisherman and transport him to land.
    – *Rescue 116:* To provide "top cover" support (relay communications between the rescue aircraft and the shore).

    4. *Rescue 118 Flight:* Rescue 118 took off from Sligo around 10:30 PM, refueled at Blacksod Lighthouse, and proceeded to meet the fishing boat.

    5. *Rescue 116 Flight:* Rescue 116 took off from Dublin just before 11 PM, and headed to Blacksod to refuel, a journey of 1¾ hours.

    6. *Approach and Collision:* At 12:46 AM, while approaching Blacksod over the sea at 200 feet, Rescue 116 failed to see Blackrock Island (9.5 nautical miles west of Blacksod) until it was too late. Despite a last-moment evasive maneuver, the helicopter struck the western slope of the island.

    7. *Crash:* The collision damaged Rescue 116's tail structure, making it uncontrollable, and it tumbled into the sea off the eastern side of Blackrock Island.

    8. *Emergency Declared:* The lighthouse crew raised the alarm when Rescue 116 failed to arrive as expected, prompting the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dublin to declare an emergency.

    9. *Search and Recovery:* After finishing the rescue of the injured fisherman, Rescue 118 flew to Blacksod and located the body of Rescue 116's captain in the water. The body was retrieved by the RNLI Achill lifeboat.

    10. *Additional Search Efforts:* Rescue 115, based in Shannon, and a CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps were dispatched to aid in the search for the other three crew members.

    11. *Captain's Funeral:* On 18 March, the funeral for Captain Dara Fitzpatrick was held in Glencullen, County Dublin.

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