4 replies to this topic

[Sharon007]

Six die as Belfast flight crashes in Cork



Two Irish citizens, three British passport holders and a Spaniard have been killed and six others are injured after a commuter flight from Belfast crashed at Cork Airport this morning.

The Manx2 commuter flight from Belfast, flight number NM7100, had 10 passengers and two crew on board when it crashed.

The 18-seater light turboprop aircraft overturned and caught fire while making a third attempt to land in heavy fog.

A witness at Cork Airport told RTÉ News that weather conditions were so poor that the crash could not be seen from the terminal building.

One of the six people killed was Brendan McAleese, a businessman from Co Tyrone and first cousin of Dr Martin Mc Aleese - the husband of the President.

He was the general manager of a company based in Cookstown.

Another of the passengers who died was a partner from the Belfast office of international accountancy firm KPMG. Pat Cullinan was originally from Omagh in Co Tyrone.

Dr Gerry McCarthy, Head of Emergency Medicine at Cork University Hospital, said four of the six injured are in a very serious condition with a combination of chest, spinal and head injuries.

The other two have soft tissue injuries and are being detained overnight as a precaution.

An air accident investigator with the Department of Transport has said it is hoped to reconstruct the events surrounding the plane crash by accessing information from the aircraft's black box.

Paddy Judge said they know where the black box is located on the plane.

The flight was scheduled to depart Belfast at 7.50am and eventually left at 8.12am. It was due to land in Cork at 9.10am.

The plane first attempted to land from a southerly direction on Cork's main runway, known as Runway 17. This was aborted due to low visibility.

It then tried to land on the opposite, northerly, approach to the main runway - known as Runway 35. The Aviation Authority says it is believed wind was not a problem, but the pilot was still unhappy with visibility.

The plane went into a holding position for 20 minutes, before making a third attempt to land on the southerly approach to the main runway.

At 9.42am, the plane was ten miles out from the airport. 10 minutes later, the plane hit the ground at what is called the 'western threshold' of the runway. Eye witnesses reported hearing a loud bang.

It is understood the plane flipped over on landing and caught fire.
















Source: RTE

Plane crashes dont often happen here its very rare. I would like to extend my sympathies to the victims of the crash and I do hope that the people who are injured pull though.

[Sugar_Plum]

f**k,its terrible! and i wanted to flight to Ireland to meet my mom too,, but after month i will flight there... f*ckin bad..

[magic]

That's a small plain. It's miracle if ppl stay alive after a plain crash. RIP to those who died and God bless those who were injured to get well soon!

[Phantom]

it's very sad when things like this happen

I wish the dead people rest in peace

and I wish the injured people will get well soon

[Sharon007]

Cork Airport to resume full service tomorrow

Cork Airport is expected to resume full service tomorrow, following the clearance of the wreckage of the plane which crashed yesterday morning, killing six people.

Cork Airport is expected to resume full service tomorrow, following the clearance of the wreckage of the plane which crashed yesterday morning, killing six people.

The first commerical flight to land at Cork airport has arrived safely at the airport with passengers shortly after 7pm.

The Ryanair flight FR9853 arrived from London Gatwick at 19:14 with passengers.

The plane will be stay at Cork airport overnight until it resumes normal service tomorrow morning

Six people died when the Manx2 flight from Belfast to Cork crashed yesterday morning, overturning and catching fire on its third attempt to land. There was heavy fog in the area at the time.

The five men and one woman who survived the crash spent the night at Cork University Hospital.

Two of the survivors were released this lunchtime. In a statement issued on their behalf by the HSE South, Donal Walsh and Laurence Wilson and their families wish to express their condolences to the families of the deceased and to say that their thoughts and prayers are with them at this very difficult time.

The six men who died have all now been named. They include passengers Pat Cullinan from Belfast, Michael Evans from Belfast, Richard Noble from Derbyshire in England, and Brendan McAleese from Ballymena, who was a cousin of the President's husband Martin.

The Spanish pilot of the aircraft, Jordi Lopez, and the English co-pilot, Andrew Cantle, also died in the crash. The two men had been working for the company for a number of months.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Cork Airport Chief Executive Pat Keohane said he believed the quick reaction of airport emergency staff prevented further loss of life.

The Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder have been located and removed from the scene. They will be taken to Dublin where specialist equipment will be used to download the material in them.

The investigation into the cause of the crash will involve experts from Ireland, Britain, Spain and the US.

The National Transportation Safety Board in the US has confirmed that it is sending three investigators to assist in the investigation.

A crane has been assembled on Cork Airport's main runway and work will begin shortly to dismantle the wreckage.



Initial indications into what went wrong are likely to emerge in a matter of weeks.

However, it is expected that a final report could take more than a year to complete given the serious legal and financial implications of the accident.

Books of condolence are open at Cork City Hall and Cork County Hall today to allow members of the public express their condolence to the families of the victims of the plane crash.

The Chairman of Manx2, Noel Hayes, has said the last 24 hours have been very long dark for him, but even darker and longer for the families of the bereaved.

Speaking at a news conference this afternoon, Mr Hayes said his heart goes out to the relatives of the victims.

Mr Hayes also offered his best wishes to the injured, who he will visit this evening with the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Martin McGuinness.

The Manx2 chairman will also meet emergency services to thank them for their prompt and sift response to the tragic air accident.

He said the aircraft itself had no recent technical issues and underwent a routine maintenance check last week in Spain.

When asked by reporters about claims by the co-pilot Andrew Cantle's mother that her son should not have being working yesterday or landing the plane, Mr Hayes replied there is an investigation being carried out and it would be wrong for him to make any comment that would prejudice the investigations findings.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Hayes said he has no reason to believe the aircraft would not have had enough fuel to divert to Knock or Shannon.

He said the aircraft was not under pressure to return to Belfast.

Source: RTE

The airport where the accident happened is very small not a major one. In 2007 Michael arrived at the same airport. It was closed for most of today and said that it will return to full service tomorrow. Also they are saying that the co-pilot was only in the job 2 weeks and wasn't due to fly yesterday.


Two books of condolence were open today and they put 6 flowers on each table to symbolise the 6 who died in the crash.