A final report into the crash landing of an Air Ambulance helicopter near Borrisoleigh, in Tipperary, has established that the pilot & crew did not see power lines until too late to avoid a collision.
The helicopter had been responding to a call from a seriously ill patient, latter who was later transferred to hospital by road, when the collision happened on June 19th of last year.
The report by a special Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) was first published today. It shows that the pilot identified two parallel sets of overhead wires in the selected fields; however neither he nor the other crew members spotted another set of cables, on their final approach to land. Failure to do so resulted in the helicopter, which had 3 people on board at the time, striking the cables.
While a paramedic and a Garda on the ground had spotted the overhead cables, latter individuals had no direct communication to warn the pilot and this was considered a contributory cause.
The Air Ambulance was just airborne for some 20 minutes when the collision occurred and came down heavily in a field in the townsland of Currabaha, approximately 6 kilometres from the village of Borrisoleigh.
The pilot was complimented by witnesses on the ground for his controlled landing ability of the craft, which happened thankfully without any loss of life.
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