One man died yesterday and another was seriously injured when the helicopter from which they were conducting an aerial survey crashed into a field in Co Clare.
The aircraft, owned by Irish Helicopters, had been contracted by Bord Gáis to survey land close to its Galway to Shannon gas pipeline. The two men were employed by Irish Helicopters, a company which specialises in patrolling the country's network of main gas and electrical pipelines. Gardaí last night named the dead man as 69-year-old Frederick Balcombe, Townsparks, Skerries Co Dublin.
The men were checking for land disturbance along the route of the pipeline. The pilot survived the impact with serious injuries.
The crash occurred at about 12.23pm near the village of Ballynacally, about 10 miles from Ennis. The Aerospatiale AB 350 was extensively damaged, but despite fears of a fuel leak there was no fire. The helicopter had been seen circling the area prior to the crash.
Supt Declan Brogan of Kilrush said: "One male was pronounced dead at the scene despite the best efforts of ambulance and fire personnel. The second man was airlifted to Galway university hospital with serious head and other injuries."
Emergency crews had to climb ditches and walls to access the crash site. Three units of the fire brigade from Ennis, including a specialised emergency tender, and two ambulances from Ennis, were sent to the scene. A team of advanced paramedics from Limerick was also dispatched along with senior ambulance and fire service personnel.
The Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard rescue helicopter airlifted the pilot to Galway. A spokeswoman for the hospital in Galway confirmed that the man remained in a "stable condition".
A second Irish Helicopters aircraft landed at the scene about an hour after the crash to assist with the investigation. The Department of Transport's Chief Inspector of Air Accidents arrived just 45 minutes after the crash. Mr Jurgen Whyte had been in Galway investigating last weeks fatal plane crash at Connemara airport and was on his way to Shannon when he was notified of the accident.
Speaking at the scene last night, Mr Whyte said: "When we get the helicopter back to our hangar at Gormanstown, where we have a test facility, we will be looking at the air worthiness of the aircraft . . . In tandem with that we will be interested in speaking to the pilot of the helicopter who thankfully survived this accident and who may be able to give us vital information about what happened."
Inspectors from the air accident investigation unit of the Department of Transport were also flown to Clare and were last night carrying out an investigation of the area and the wreckage.
Supt Brogan added: "A local farmer has told us that he heard a crash and he contacted the gardaí, who arrived here after a short period of time. The site is about 200 yards from the nearest road and is located at the rear of Kilcreest Cemetery."
He said gardaí have already spoken to several witnesses, including local farmers.
One eyewitness, Liam Shannon, said: "I was back the road a bit and I saw it passing up. It was very low and then I heard the bang and I know it wasn't far away. It was only later I heard what happened and that someone died. It is a terrible tragedy."
The helicopter is understood to have been travelling in an east to west direction at the time of the crash.