An initial inspection into an air crash in which two men died in Co Westmeath in May did not reveal any abnormalities with the aircraft, according to a preliminary report.
The initial investigation found no evidence of aircraft failure before the impact and the engine revealed no abnormalities which would have prevented normal operation. The investigation is ongoing and a formal report will be published in due course.
The crash of the Cessna F150M on May 25th this year claimed the lives of Liam Ryan, from Clontarf, Dublin, and Joseph McCabe, Lucan, Dublin. The men were on a training course from the National Flight Centre at Weston Aerodrome in Dublin.
Mr McCabe, who was in his late 30s, was a flying instructor. Mr Ryan, also in his 30s, was completing examinations to become an instructor.
The preliminary report of the Air Accident Investigation Unit stated that the aircraft left the aerodrome at approximately 9.20am on an instructional detail to the west.
A qualified flight instructor was seated in the left-hand seat and the pupil, who was on a flight instructor's course, was seated on the right.
The purpose of the flight was a revision detail for a pre-instructor's rating test.
It was intended the flight would take about one hour and sufficient fuel was on board, the report stated.
"At approximately 9.55am, witnesses who were working on a house close to Raharney, Co Westmeath, heard the sound of a revving engine and on looking towards the west saw an aircraft spiralling vertically down to earth," it said. A survey of the accident site determined that the aircraft impacted vertically.
"There was no wreckage path and all components of the aircraft were located at the site. To date, no evidence of pre-impact aircraft failure has been found.
"An initial inspection of the engine did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower," the report stated.
The Cessna was owned by businessman Ciarán O'Connor, who runs the National Flight Centre at Weston Aerodrome.
The two-seater Cessna 150 is one of the world's most widely used flight training aircraft.