The helicopter which crashed in Co Longford yesterday killing two people underwent massive structural failure seconds before it smashed into a field, the garda leading the investigation said last night.
"The eyewitnesses we have interviewed reported seeing large sections of the aircraft falling to the ground seconds before it crashed," Supt Tom Murphy said. "It appears the aircraft literally disintegrated before coming down."
The two-seater Robinson 22 helicopter crashed at Moyne, near the small village of Ballinamuck, Co Longford, at 11.10 a.m. The pilot left Weston Aerodrome in Leixlip, Co Kildare, at 10 a.m. and flew to Wicklow to pick up a passenger.
Gardai in Longford named the two victims last night. They were Mr Patrick Stokes (40), the pilot, of Woodlawn Park Avenue, Firhouse, Tallaght, and his passenger, Mr Anthony Stephen Tebbit (47) of Littlebrook, Newcastle, Co Wicklow.
A Garda spokesman said the men were married and that both had three young children. Mr Tebbit worked in the film industry, he added.
They were flying to Sligo to collect a piece of camera equipment when the helicopter came down, gardai believe.
Their bodies were removed to Mullingar General Hospital where the state pathologist, Dr John Harbison, was due to perform the post-mortem examination.
"A farmer and his son out working on their farm saw 4 ft by 3 ft sections of the helicopter fall off, they heard a bang and saw a puff of smoke," Supt Murphy said.
The flight path was scattered with debris for up to 500 metres from where the helicopter was found. Gardai recovered sections of perspex, a door, parts of the aircraft's navigation equipment, a mobile phone and maps.
Local farmer Mr Michael Masterson, who saw the crash, said: "It looked as though part of the machine came off before it hit the ground. I went to the scene and saw two bodies, one trapped inside and one thrown clear. Both were dead."
The helicopter was registered to McAuliffe Trucking Ltd in Castle island, Co Kerry. A spokesperson for the company could not be contacted for comment last night. However, Supt Murphy said he believed the company had leased the aircraft. The Garda was investigating whether it had been leased to the pilot who died in the crash.
Gardai sealed off a large area of fields yesterday as members of the Department of Enterprise's air accident investigation unit sifted through the debris in an effort to discover the cause of the crash.
Supt Murphy appealed to the public for help in locating the helicopter's rudder which was vital for the investigation. He feared it may have been picked up by a member of the public as a souvenir. It is 4 in wide and 8 in long, black with two yellow stripes. Anybody who found the rudder should contact Longford Garda station.
Last month an Air Corps helicopter came down on a beach in Tramore, Co Waterford, after carrying out a rescue mission. Its crew of four all died.