Dáil debates

Wednesday, 17 November 2021

Air Accident Investigation Unit Final Report into R116 air accident: Statements

 

6:52 pm

Photo of Cathal CroweCathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I just had a text to tell me that Deputy Durkan is not going to make it into the Chamber. He said that I can use a little of his time, but I will not be using the full 11 minutes.

The Rescue 116 accident tragically claimed the lives of crew members, Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, Captain Mark Duffy, winchman Ciarán Smith and winch operator Paul Ormsby in March 2017. These individuals were highly skilled and trained and also highly committed to their jobs. They were dedicated to saving the lives of others, and there is a tragic irony to the fact that they died in the course of their work to keep those who go to sea safe.

I am glad that the investigation into this accident has now concluded. Dáil Éireann must recognise the terrible grief that this accident and loss of lives has caused the affected families. For two of these families, the Smiths and Ormsbys, that grief has been compounded because the bodies of Ciarán and Paul were lost at sea and have not yet been recovered.

I am glad that the Department of Transport fully accepts the recommendations contained in this report. It is important that all actionable recommendations are now followed through and this House must maintain a level of oversight in that regard.

IALPA recently made a statement regarding the crash investigation. It stated, "They [the R116 crew] relied on the data production standards of Irish regulation to guarantee them correct information. They were let down." By way of elaboration on that point, I will refer to pages 326 and 327 of the air accident investigation unit's report. The finding listed at No. 26 was, "Black Rock was not in the EGPWS database." The finding at No. 27 stated, "The 1:250,000 Aeronautical Chart, Euronav imagery did not extend as far as Black Rock." No. 28 stated, "The 1:50,000 OSI imagery available on the Toughbook did not show Black Rock Lighthouse or terrain, and appeared to show open water in the vicinity of Black Rock."

In 2006, I went off to achieve something I always wanted to do as a child. I undertook some private pilot licence, PPL, training at Coonagh Airfield in Limerick, not too far from my home. I trained in a small light aircraft. There is a night rating that very experienced pilots go off and get. It is an entirely different kettle of fish for an aeroplane to take off during the night, as the Minister will understand. Pilots in that scenario are hugely reliant on the EGPWS terrain-mapping system to know what is ahead of them. The pilot and crew in the aircraft that night flew a hazardous mission believing they were above open water while going full tilt in a helicopter. Therein lies the ultimate problem. The terrain, the lighthouse and the rising of the land were not there for them to see from the cockpit that night. They were flying very much in the dark.

The role of aviation regulatory authorities in Ireland is to provide for or oversee the provision of accurate charts and aeronautical data. This requirement is set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which publishes a series of annexes relating to nation state responsibilities. Annex 4 of chapter 1 makes specific references to the Irish State. It states that Ireland, the contracting state, should take all reasonable measures to ensure the information it provides and the aeronautical charts made available are adequate and accurate, and that they are maintained up-to-date by an adequate revision service. We can assume that Ireland has, and had, the responsibility to produce adequate and accurate charts or to arrange for their production by a third party, if it wishes to contract it out. That clearly did not happen in the case of R116.

In the Minister's opening statement, he referred to the section 32 examination of the Irish Aviation Authority. That comes under the Irish Aviation Authority Act of 1993 and deals with the requirement for an examination of the safety and technical performance of the Irish Aviation Authority every three years. It is important to note that this safety examination did not happen between 2007 and 2014. It is also important to note that some of the officials who should have overseen that safety examination are still in the Minister's Department, advising him and his ministerial team not to adopt amendments to the Air Navigation and Transport Bill.

I wish to mention Caitríona Lucas, who also tragically lost her life. She was an Irish Coast Guard volunteer who lost her life while on active service when her boat capsized as she was out searching for a missing man off the coast of Kilkee in County Clare. The investigation that followed that incident identified a number of serious flaws in the rib boat that Caitríona and her crew members were using that day. Accident investigations make recommendations, and rightly so, but what we have seen in Clare and, indeed, throughout Ireland, is that rather than bolstering and enhancing the Irish Coast Guard service, the Department of Transport has, in effect, diluted pretty much everything the Coast Guard does. These days in Kilkee, the Coast Guard's inflatable boat cannot go out beyond the confines of the bay area. If a rescue is required further out at sea, local fisherman and boaters must step into the breach. The Doolin Coast Guard station is currently closed and we anxiously await its reopening following a mediation process to resolve HR problems. That process will begin next Monday. The HR dispute is only one of the problems faced by volunteers at that station. I was alarmed to discover recently that the Coast Guard hierarchy no longer allows its members to undertake climbing training in the station building. They can no longer use a bolting system when training for climbing missions in the Burren area and they have been told that there are sections of the Cliffs of Moher they simply should not go near.

We need a strong Coast Guard. It is there to save lives and keep people who go to sea safe. We need to ensure that all recommendations within the air accident report relating to Rescue 116 are now fully implemented in a timely fashion.

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