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Rescue 116 Crash at Blackrock, Co Mayo(Mod note in post 1)

sparrowcar

Contact lost just before 0100 off the west coast of Achill island on a rescue mission.
Search in progress including all available ships and Rescue 115.

Hopefully a positive outcome to this.

Please keep replies civil, and respectful of the crew and their families.

Please do not speculate as to any cause unless you have a factual basis to do so (and can back it up with information released to the public).

There will be zero tolerance for troublemakers or those that choose to ignore these guidelines.

There are other moderator messages in the thread, as a result of issues that have arisen, and we will be less forgiving going forward, due to the ongoing sensitivity of this incident

As per normal boards guidance, any comments on moderation are off topic and should be addressed directly to mods or cmods by PM. Any part of posts which are off topic in such a manner may be edited or removed, with possible sanction. Non news posts will be moved to the parallel R116 Non news and discussion thread

Should any new reports, updates or news stories come out, posts which can be boiled down to "I Told You So" or other triumphalism about previous commentary will result in significant punishment.

Any threadbans will carry over to any replacement thread should this approach 10,000 posts

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Dark sun

Would make sense if that's what might have happened, hence no mayday call. May have clipped it and lost control, didn't realise how high this rock was.

bajer101

@Irish Steve, thank you for such an informative and considerate post.

[Deleted User]

MV Granuaile is enroute ETA is 0600 Friday

irishgeo

[Deleted User] wrote: »

MV Granuaile is enroute ETA is 0600 Friday

Gales are forecast from Friday.

elastico

Buffman wrote: »

Looks like R118 also landed on Black Rock helipad for a few minutes at around 16:25.

eatmyshorts wrote: »

Large parts of debris, specifically the tail area, were recovered from Blackrock Island itself, in the area of the lighthouse and adjoining building.

And no, I can't link to a source, as the info came direct from someone who saw it.

If both these pieces of information are confirmed as correct then what may have happened will become a lot clearer quite soon.

spaceHopper

We can't change what has happened it's terrible four lives lost. I've my own theory as to what might have happened but it's best left to the air accident investigation. All we can do is remember them well and pray for them and their families. They are all part of a community which is so grateful to them. RIP

bennyob

Deleted User wrote: »

MV Granuaile is enroute ETA is 0600 Friday

What's the significance of this?

Mech1

bennyob wrote: »

What's the significance of this?

Big crane / wreckage lifting.

Green Peter

Excuse my ignorance but what are the chances that it was struck by lightening ?

elastico

bennyob wrote: »

What's the significance of this?

I think it has a bigger crane or deck area to lift the wreckage onto or something.

faoiarvok

Green Peter wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what are the chances that it was struck by lightening ?

Chances are minuscule.

And if it were, chances that a lightning strike would have the observed effect are so small as to not even be worth considering.

Edit: just reread this and realised it sounds very lecture-y, which I didn't intend.

Steve

Green Peter wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what are the chances that it was struck by lightening ?

Aircraft are struck by lightning all the time, there is no path to ground so it doesn't really affect them. In general the passengers don't even notice.

sparrowcar

OP here. Irish Steve's post is worth reading twice.

I was close school friends with Ciaran Smith and went with him to his passing out parade from the army which led to his career with 116. Working in DUB airport I was privy to some information in advance of its wider release but had to hold my tongue due to the sensitivity of the situation.
It's been hard to read some of the things posted here and other social media but I understand the nature of people's urge for information.

I did not expect when I posted the alert that the outcome of this would unfold into the tragedy it became. May their souls rest in peace.

Calina

Condolences, sparrowcar. It is never good to lose a school friend.

Steve

sparrowcar wrote: »

OP here. Irish Steve's post is worth reading twice.

I was close school friends with Ciaran Smith and went with him to his passing out parade from the army which led to his career with 116. Working in DUB airport I was privy to some information in advance of its wider release but had to hold my tongue due to the sensitivity of the situation.
It's been hard to read some of the things posted here and other social media but I understand the nature of people's urge for information.

I did not expect when I posted the alert that the outcome of this would unfold into the tragedy it became. May their souls rest in peace.

The whole country is grieving for them. I am also, personally, very upset.

My condolences to you sparrowcar, and I think I can speak for most people on boards here in saying we all are truly saddened by this tragedy.

Again, I salute the crew of rescue 116 and will always cherish their memory.

Gadgetman496

Steve wrote: »

The whole country is grieving for them.

And that's for sure.

PukkaStukka

Green Peter wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what are the chances that it was struck by lightening ?

I checked several lightning detection websites the following morning and there were no sferics reported anywhere near Blacksod. Lightning is not a player in this.

****Edit: your post was anything but ignorant. In fact your question was perfectly valid

bb12

I live in North Co Dublin and 116 was a very common sight at all times during the day or night...whether they were flying at a leisurely pace practising maneouvers and training or else flying at hells pace when you knew they were on a mission to get somewhere fast to save lives...They were almost a daily part of the scenery here but the sheer size and sound of the machine meant that you would always look up when they passed and I was always in awe of them knowing what they did to save people. On sunday evening just as the sun was setting on a gorgeous day, I heard the familiar hum of the helicopter as it was flying north from Dublin airport. I stood and watched it approach from far off in a straight line directly towards where I was standing. It was at full speed ahead so I knew it was on a mission (and later I read on the news that they were heading to Carlingford to aid in the helicopter crash there). It was flying low and as it flew directly overhead me I could make out distinct parts of the aircraft and I secretly said to myself I hope i never have occasion to have to be hoisted onboard.

I was so upset when I read the reports first thing yesterday morning and have been upset ever since. I didn't know any of the crew personally although one lives very close by, but I have so much admiration for them and the service they provide.

I was outside working late last night and noted all the airplanes using the back runway on their approach to dublin airport but there was also another horrible silence in the skies.

Gaoth Laidir

Here are the weather conditions reported at Belmullet automatic station, 30 km northeast of the crash site (altitude 9 m). SYNOP report for 1 am, the time of the crash. I have also decoded the midnight and 2 am reports to show the trend either side.

Cloudbase was around 300 ft at the time, visibility 3000 metres.

01 am
AAXX 14011 03976 47130 /2210 10106 20099 30242 40254 55003 7818/ 88///
333 88/03==

Visibility: 3 km
Wind: 220 (SE) @ 10 m/s (19 kts)
Temp 10.6 °C, Dewpoint 9.9 °C
Sea level pressure: 1025.4 hPa
Pressure trend past 3 hours: almost no change
Weather: rain showers
Cloud: Overcast with base at 300 ft

Midnight:
AAXX 14001 03976 17225 /2110 10106 20099 30240 40252 57009 69921 78181 88///
333 88/04==

Visibility 2.5 km. Otherwise similar but cloudbase Overcast at 400 ft.

2 am:
AAXX 14021 03976 47157 /2508 10101 20092 30247 40259 53003 7236/ 87///
333 83/03 87/33==

Visibility: 7 km
Wind: 250 (WSW) @ 8 m/s (15 kts)
Otherwise similar.
Weather: recent shower.
Cloud: 3/8 cover at 300 ft, 7/8 cover at 3300 ft.

At Mace Head, 80 km to the southeast, conditions were similar, with cloud Overcast at 400 ft, lowering to 200 ft by 2 am. Visibility at midnight was 5 km, at 1 am it was 2.7 km, at 2 am 1.9 km.

adam88

homerjay2005 wrote: »

so if this is true and im reading it as i think you are trying to say, it definately plausible that they hit the island.

landed at the wrong place thinking it was blacksod?

I can see where the opinions so far are headed but we have to remember these are highly highly trained pilots on a very well equipped aircraft. These things surely can't happen

Sterling Archer

adam88 wrote: »

I can see where the opinions so far are headed but we have to remember these are highly highly trained pilots on a very well equipped aircraft. These things surely can't happen

I know a pilot who landed on the wrong Oil rig once, anything is possible, It's extremely unlikely tho

elastico

adam88 wrote: »

I can see where the opinions so far are headed but we have to remember these are highly highly trained pilots on a very well equipped aircraft. These things surely can't happen

Ryanair landed at the wrong airport in Derry a few years ago. Human error is to blame in a lot of these incidents / accidents.

(I am not saying human error is the cause here, just saying that it is possible)

Lapmo_Dancer

CHC Helicopter is a solid operator with a good safety record, particularly in their Irish operation.

It is pointless speculating or ruling anything in or out at this stage. Let the investigators do their jobs.

homerjay2005

normally an incident is a culmination of a number of factors - watch any air crash investigation and you will see some accidents have 5,6,7 contributions.

just to add a point here, this is from an interview with the keeper of Blacksod station -

“Vincent reckoned it would be 11pm at least, so we went back home for a cup of tea,” Sweeney recalls. “I remember it was very poor visibility as there was constant rain.”

conditions appear to be a factor here despite some reports.

elastico

Lapmo_Dancer wrote: »

CHC Helicopter is a solid operator with a good safety record, particularly in their Irish operation.

It is pointless speculating or ruling anything in or out at this stage. Let the investigators do their jobs.

People are perfectly entitled to discuss an event that's front page news in the mainstream media.

Nobody on here is trying to stop the investigators doing their jobs.

MadYaker

I read in the Irish times that the crew didn't activate their personal locator beacons. Would that be unusual for situations like this?

TallGlass

Lapmo_Dancer wrote: »

CHC Helicopter is a solid operator with a good safety record, particularly in their Irish operation.

It is pointless speculating or ruling anything in or out at this stage. Let the investigators do their jobs.

Is the report available to the public to read or any sites to keep an eye on for reports about the cause?

Lapmo_Dancer

elastico wrote: »

People are perfectly entitled to discuss an event that's front page news in the mainstream media.

Nobody on here is trying to stop the investigators doing their jobs.

That may be so. The problem is when unproven speculation casts aspirations on the professionalism of individuals or organizations.

For example, in your previous post you stated that Ryanair landed at the wrong airport in Derry. It was in fact an Eirjet A-320.

The_Wanderer

Gaoth Laidir wrote: »

Here are the weather conditions reported at Belmullet automatic station, 30 km northeast of the crash site (altitude 9 m). SYNOP report for 1 am, the time of the crash. I have also decoded the midnight and 2 am reports to show the trend either side.

Cloudbase was around 300 ft at the time.

01 am
AAXX 14011 03976 47130 /2210 10106 20099 30242 40254 55003 7818/ 88///
333 88/03==

Visibility: 3 km
Wind: 220 (SE) @ 10 m/s (19 kts)
Temp 10.6 °C, Dewpoint 9.9 °C
Sea level pressure: 1025.4 hPa
Pressure trend past 3 hours: almost no change
Weather: rain showers
Cloud: Overcast with base at 300 ft

Midnight:
AAXX 14001 03976 17225 /2110 10106 20099 30240 40252 57009 69921 78181 88///
333 88/04==

Visibility 2.5 km. Otherwise similar but cloudbase Overcast at 400 ft.

2 am:
AAXX 14021 03976 47157 /2508 10101 20092 30247 40259 53003 7236/ 87///
333 83/03 87/33==

Visibility: 7 km
Wind: 250 (WSW) @ 8 m/s (15 kts)
Otherwise similar.
Weather: recent shower.
Cloud: 3/8 cover at 300 ft, 7/8 cover at 3300 ft.

At Mace Head, 80 km to the southeast, conditions were similar, with cloud Overcast at 400 ft, lowering to 200 ft by 2 am. Visibility at midnight was 5 km, at 1 am it was 2.7 km, at 2 am 1.9 km.

Cloudbase of 300ft. Black Rock 300ft. I don't like where this is heading.

Did the craft break cloudbase just before the Island and it was too late to take evasive action?

Atlantic Dawn

TallGlass wrote: »

Is the report available to the public to read or any sites to keep an eye on for reports about the cause?

They are published here...
http://www.aaiu.ie/reports/aaiu-investigation-reports