Crew on tragic Rescue
116 never got emergency warning it was about to crash due to technical
glitch
The Irish Mirror has learned an audible message should have blasted out in the cockpit telling the pilot to “pull up” when satellite navigation detected it was too close to the island
Irish Lights Vessel Granuaile anchored off Black Rock Island Co Mayo last week as the Rescue 116 recovery operation continues. PHotograph: Chris Radburn/PA Wire
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06:00,
28 MAR 2017
Crew onboard tragic
Rescue 116 never got a last-minute emergency warning that it was about to hit
rocks because of a technical glitch, it is claimed today.
Blackrock Island in Co
Mayo, which the doomed chopper clipped before it was due to refuel, was not on
the digital map that directs a crucial safety system.
The Irish Mirror has
learned an audible message should have blasted out in the cockpit telling the
pilot to “pull up” when satellite navigation detected it was too close to the
island.
A source said last night:
“Without this vital warning, an experienced crew would not have known there was
an obstacle in their flight path until they were close enough to see it with
their own eyes through darkness.
“But the system didn’t
recognise Blackrock because it was not recorded on its
database.”
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Now a TD has demanded it
becomes a central part of the investigation into the crash which killed Captain
Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy and winchmen Ciaran Smith and Paul
Ormsby.
The source added: “The
software package needs regular updates to ensure all hazards such as lighthouses
and small islands are identified.
“The Enhanced Ground
Warning Proximity System is designed to tell crew when they are approaching high
ground in time to manoeuvre away from the obstacle.”
R116 left Dublin Airport
at 11.03pm on March 13. The last message from the crew to Air Traffic Control
stated that it was doubling back to refuel at Blacksod Bay on the
mainland.
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It had begun to descend
ahead of its landing when the tail section of the aircraft clipped the western
side of nearby Blackrock Island.
The possibility that a
technical glitch may have caused the tragic accident is now a major cause of
concern for many working within the Coast Guard.
Many are privately
pushing for a full review of the satellite navigation system and its software
after the loss of their four colleagues and friends.
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The company which
provides helicopter search and rescue services to the Coast Guard – CHC – said
in a statement: “Given that the tragic accident of R116 is to a formal
investigation by the Air Accident Investigation Unit, we are bound by the
associated annex 13 protocols, as such it would not be appropriate for us to be
drawn into questions of a technical nature.”
Sinn Fein’s transport
spokeswoman said: “Whether or not a technical fault caused this has to be
thoroughly investigated.
“It goes without saying
we need to find out what, if anything, contributed to the accident. If this is
found to be the cause of the accident, it must be addressed as a matter of
urgency.”
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