2017 Irish Coast Guard Rescue 116 crash
EI-ICR, the aircraft involved in the accident
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 14 March 2017 |
| Summary | Lost at sea during SAR mission; wreckage located |
| Site | Atlantic Ocean 17 km west of Blacksod Bay, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Missing | 2 |
| Aircraft type | Sikorsky S-92A |
| Operator | CHC Helicopter for Irish Coast Guard |
| Registration | EI-ICR |
On 14 March 2017, at 12:45 am local time, a Sikorsky S-92A operated by CHC Helicopter under contract to the Irish Coast Guard (call sign Rescue 116, based at Dublin Airport) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while providing top-cover (communications relay) support for the Sligo-based search and rescue helicopter, Rescue 118, during a rescue mission off County Mayo on Ireland′s west coast. One of the crew members, Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, was recovered from the water within hours and later pronounced dead in hospital. The body of one of the missing crew was found in the wreckage on 24 March and recovered by NSDS divers on 26 March after which it was formally identified as that of Captain Mark Duffy. Two other members of the crew, Winch Operator Paul Ormsby and Winchman Ciarán Smith are still missing. The search and recovery operation is ongoing.
On 14th March 2017 Rescue 118 had completed the medical evacuation of an injured fisherman 250 kilometres (160 mi) west of Blacksod, for which Rescue 116 had provided support and was returning. Shannon ATC last had communication from Rescue 116 at shortly before the crash announcing 'making our way to Blacksod for refuel'. Refuelling is a common practice in a long-range and lengthy SAR mission. The helicopter itself did not make any mayday call, but disappeared from air traffic control radar around 12:45am and failed to arrive at Blacksod, prompting the issuing of a declaration of emergency by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dublin.
Rescue 118 was advised of the situation and routed to Blacksod to begin a search for the missing helicopter. Rescue 115, the Shannon Airport-based Coast Guard helicopter, was immediately dispatched to the area to aid in the search, along with a CASA CN-235 maritime patrol aircraft from the Irish Air Corps. The Irish Naval Service offshore patrol vessel LÉ Róisín arrived in the search zone at 9:00 am on 14 March. Divers from the Naval Service Diving Section and Garda Water Unit and RNLI vessels were also sent to the scene. Investigators from the Air Accident Investigation Unit attended the scene on the same day. The Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne joined the search effort that afternoon, and both Naval Service vessels continued the search throughout the night and into the next day.
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