First report published on Galway plane crash

A preliminary report into a plane crash in which two men died in Co Galway last month has been published by the State's Air Accident…

A preliminary report into a plane crash in which two men died in Co Galway last month has been published by the State's Air Accident Investigation Unit.

Two Belgian men died when their light aircraft crashed during an attempted emergency landing just after take-off from Galway airport at Carnmore on September 19th.

It was an awful sight, but it was obvious from the start that there was something wrong as the plane lost a wing three fields away
Paddy McHugh, a witness to the plane crash

The single-engine DR250 spun to the ground at Galway Cricket Club, Oranmore, killing the pilot and passenger instantly.

Accident investigator Jurgen Whyte's preliminary report published today said the plane took off at 12.35pm and air traffic control had cleared it to make a left turn out towards Birr.

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An emergency 999 call was received at Millstreet Garda station in Galway at 12.43pm from a local resident in Oranmore who said an aircraft had just crashed into the grounds of the cricket club.

Witnesses said the plane had spun out of cloud with a significant part of its right-hand wing missing. The missing section of the wing was found 422 metres from the main wreckage, but the cause of its separation from the aircraft has yet to be determined, the investigator found.

A full report will be published when the investigation is complete.

Paddy McHugh, a witness who was working in a house nearby, said: "We ran out to see the plane and people were shouting at us, asking if we knew first aid. But by the time we got there, there was nothing we could do.

"It was a shock to see it. It was an awful sight, but it was obvious from the start that there was something wrong as the plane lost a wing three fields away."

Two months earlier, two Galway businessmen were killed in a helicopter accident in the south of the county. Damien Bergin and Mark Reilly were returning from the Tall Ships race in Waterford when their aircraft crashed near Derrybrien.