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Abbeyshrule
'It's a terrible tragedy' - Investigation resumes into fatal aircraft crash in Longford
A man killed in the incident was not from the local area.
Emergency Times / Twitter
Emergency Times / Twitter / Twitter
AN INVESTIGATION HAS resumed into the fatal crash of a small airplane in Co Longford yesterday.
The Air Accidents Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Department of Transport confirmed that it had resumed its investigation at 11am this morning.
The investigation comes after a father in his forties was killed when the small aircraft he was flying crashed near Abbeyshrule Airport at about 5.30pm yesterday evening.
The man was not local to the area but was visiting Abbeyshrule for the day to fly.
The AAIU team (made up of three investigators) arrived on the scene at 9pm last night. They initially examined the crash site before the man’s body was released to the emergency services.
The gardaí have also launched a separate investigation into the incident.
“A tragic accident”
Local county councillor Mick Cahill described the accident as a “terrible tragedy”.
“It’s a tragic thing to happen locally. Abbeyshrule is a very close knit community,” he said.
There would always be people flying up around the airport… it would be normal enough that people would be there on weekends.
Cahill said that the airport was a popular spot for flying enthusiasts, with people regularly coming in from out of town to take part in activities there.
No one knows how it happened. It was a tragic accident and I send every sympathy to the family.
The AAIU will continue their investigation and issue a final report when it’s completed.
The main activities of the investigation will be:
- The recording of the wreckage and the general area.
- Interviews with eye-witnesses to the crash
- Removing the wreckage and documenting it at the examination facility in Gormanstown, Co Meath.
The accident is the second significant aircraft crash to take place in the Longford town in a year.
Last July, a helicopter crashed into the side of the Rustin Inn pub. No one was seriously injured in the incident.
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