The inquiry into the crash in which the four-member crew of an Air Corps helicopter were killed in July last year did not state "pilot error" as a cause of the accident, a Defence Forces spokesman said yesterday.
A report in yesterday's Irish Times said the accident happened because of an error by the pilot.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces said yesterday that the report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) into the accident reached no such conclusion. "The report listed 17 active, contributory and systemic causes for the accident. Pilot error was not one of them," he said.
"I suggest that the conclusions of the AAIU, based on their comprehensive inquiry, should be the accepted version for the purpose of reporting on the matter. Personal speculation cannot replace authoritative findings."
The Dauphin helicopter crash at Tramore, Co Waterford, on July 2nd, 1999, which claimed the lives of Capt Dave O'Flaherty, Capt Michael Baker, Sgt Paddy Mooney and Cpl Niall Byrne, was the worst accident in the 77-year history of the Air Corps.
In the incident the pilot flew the helicopter into a sand dune approximately 14 metres above sea level at a speed estimated at between 60 and 80 knots (about 70 to 103 miles per hour). He had been trying earlier to land the helicopter but appears to have been unable to do so because of fog.
The force of the crash created a "sizeable crater", displacing about a tonne of sand, according to the report.
The report blamed deficiencies in ground support, Air Corps management, the Department of Defence and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources.
It also blamed the limited capability of the Dauphin helicopter for the Atlantic seaboard.
The main cause of the crash was given as "collision with a sand dune" after an unsuccessful approach on Tramore beach at night in extremely poor visibility.
The report also refers to the lack of sufficient "in-theatre" training for the four crew members.
The Tramore accident happened two months after another incident involving the Garda Siochana helicopter flown by another Air Corps pilot over Co Clare.
In that incident the helicopter "yawed violently to the left" after it entered a cloud at night but control was regained by the pilot and it landed safely. The Air Accident Investigation Unit recommended that more night-time training be given to pilots.
Night-time flying by the Garda helicopter was curtailed subsequently.